Could less Black students be accepted into Jersey Citys top two schools if the admission policy changes?
The Board of Education approved a resolution Thursday at its monthly meeting to review how students are accepted at McNair Academic High School and the Infinity Institute, hoping to change the selection process from being based solely on race to a socioeconomic scale. School board President Mussab Ali pointed to data that shows a trend of less students from lower-income families attending the schools as evidence that change is necessary. Fordham University Law Professor Tanya Hernandez cautioned that Jersey City officials should examine if the current policy  roughly 25% each Black, white, Hispanic and other  is needs to be fixed. While there are disturbing racial disparities in the nations socioeconomic hierarchy, when race is not part of the selection process its poor white people who are exclusively targeted by socioeconomic programs.  Now I am not saying that is the case here, but if I were involved, I would want a lot more detail because oftentimes the conversation oh we should be looking at socioeconomic diversity is the first step to dismantling any examination of issues of racial disparity, Hernandez said. Because of the preconceived notion that dealing with socioeconomic status is the same thing as dealing with race or because there is the bad view that race and class closely converge. When we had all kinds of interventions that have thought to work along socioeconomic lines, federal government programs that have sought to address the issue of socioeconomic inequality, the problem has been when race is not made part of the inquiry that it is poor white people who are exclusively targeted by those socioeconomic programs.  Hernandez researches and teaches areas revolving around discrimination, including critical race theory and social justice reform at Fordham. Ali said kids from areas like the Marion Gardens or Booker T. Washington housing complexes often believe they cant get into a school like McNair or Infinity, leading to less social mobility for students from low-income neighborhoods. I think the most important thing for this school is the original charter, it provides the ability to give students social mobility unlike any other school in our district, Ali said Monday. As a board, we recognize that there is something special about these schools, and so we want to do is raise awareness in neighborhoods that are underprivileged. But I think with these new criteria we are trying to build in with socioeconomic status it will give them this opportunity that will allow them more of a shot than they have today.  According to the state Department of Educations school performance reports, the number of economically disadvantaged students attending the schools has dropped by about 10% between the 2017-18 school year to the 2019-20 school year. Pamela Johnson, the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition Movement executive director, said racial disparities do still exist. If the board wants to add the economic component, thats fine, Johnson, a prominent voice in the Black community said. However, it should not be done in a manner that would potentially result in racial disparities at both schools. I dont see any logical reason why both factors cannot be used instead of exchanging one for the other.  Education Law Center Executive Director David Sciarra said the BOE should revise the policies so they can enroll a student body similar to the demographics of the district. He said they should also look to include English language learners and students with disabilities. Sciarra added at least 12 percent of the districts students are English language learners. So I would go more than beyond socioeconomics, I think that is important, Sciarra said. Also, they should be looking at whether these schools are serving English language learners and students with disabilities to the extent that they are enrolled in the district overall.  As to whether the schools could face a lawsuit for the change, Hernandez and Sciarra said that socioeconomic class is not protected under state and federal discrimination laws. It is perfectly acceptable for school districts to have enrollment policies and school assignment policies that seek to address the issue of enrollment of students based on socioeconomic status, Sciarra said. " Districts are free to utilize socioeconomic status as part of their enrollment.