Fancy Private School’s Flaccid Black Lives Matter Statement Angers Students, Alumni
BY BUDDY NEVINS
American Heritage, the tony Plantation-based private school, is hearing from its students, alumni and others….and not in a good way.
Critics brand the school “tone-deaf” for its flaccid statement on Facebook that was apparently prompted by the Black Lives Matter movement and the George Floyd murder.
Just one comment said:
It is entirely spineless to let the checkbooks of racist families influence the school so drastically that AHS feels compelled to not take even a mild stance in defense of the Black community. Do better. #BlackLivesMatter
It goes downhill from there.
The American Heritage statement that triggered the controversy says:
I’ll let some representative Facebook commenters say the rest:
You can find the rest of the controversy here on June 5.
You will see that the school has supporters, too.
The bottom line:
AHS’s statement sound like a sales pitch for the school. It says nothing about the challenges society outside the guarded gates of AHS face. It says nothing about the injustices coursing through our community.
The school can be proud, however, of this debate. These Facebook commenters — many who say they are part of the AHS community — are exactly what we need. They are a new generation of thinkers whose thoughtfully-expressed opinions are worthy for consideration. They obviously received a good education.
June 7th, 2020 at 7:04 pm
Some of these comments are ludicrous!! American Heritage made a very appropriate statement in my view. Not ALL comments have to include the now VAPID and overused “black lives matter” statement. I think their statement actually showed more thought and care. Honestly! and just a thought… how many of you critics are actually black? Wondering…
June 7th, 2020 at 7:25 pm
PEOPLE WHO NEVER TAUGHT Funded or WENT TO ELITE PRIVATE SCHOOLS are NOT QUALIFIED to comment upon them.
June 7th, 2020 at 10:09 pm
Point #1: People pointing fingers at private school parents should realize that many of those parents are hard working people who do not want their children in public schools that do not provide a structured educational environment. And yes, those parents come in all colors and ethnic backgrounds.
Point #2: People pointing fingers at private schools should take a close look at charter schools that “skim off” the public school students who score at numbers on standardized testing that indicate those students can achieve at an academic level to earn a standard high school diploma with high GPAs. And yes, those students come in all colors and ethnicities.
Point #3: Most private schools offer scholarships to students who cannot afford the tuition. That practice tends to be in favor of students who have strong athletic abilities. The non-rich parents and the rich parents who want a structured educational environment pay the full tuition cost and all fees for participation in sports activities.
Point #4: Educational institutions, both public and private, are responsible for the education of students, reading’, writin’, and ‘rithmetic. Schools affiliated with religion are responsible for teaching the tenets of their faiths. Parents are responsible for teaching their children about treating others with respect.
Point#5: Where is the systemic racism in Broward County? The Sheriff is Black, the County Administrator is Black, the Mayor of Fort Lauderdale is Black, many city Mayors are Black, the School Superintendent is Black, the Clerk of Courts is Black, the Director of Public Libraries is Black. Could it be that the systemic racism is evidenced in prejudice against other races?
June 8th, 2020 at 11:23 am
I don’t think Dean Trantalis is Black.
Systemic racism is SYSTEMIC, it is not ended by a particular leader. If you want egregious Broward county examples, look at Mike Satz office.
June 8th, 2020 at 3:28 pm
#4
Thank you for pointing out my mistake. The Mayor of Broward County is Black.
June 8th, 2020 at 4:44 pm
The owners of this school care about money and only money…..Minority students are pushed through for their athletic ability only…if the deans like them they graduate or if they perform on the field. the scholarships “recruiting” are given to those that perform but they do not get the education that the elite in the school do. At least the vast majority of the minorities are for athletics while making the school look diverse.
June 15th, 2020 at 4:58 pm
#4 – nice try. Like him or not, Satz is an effective leader, and has run his office without a scandal for 30 years. Name another gov’t agency or leader in Broward that has that record.