Friday, December 13, 2013

Iowa City board buckles to demand to cancel learning on King Day

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Students in the Iowa City school district are currently scheduled to attend class on Jan. 20, the federal holiday observing the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLKIn addition to getting their daily instruction, students are scheduled to participate in special activities marking the day, including a mock civil rights march to demonstrate what King was all about, school assemblies based on his life, and projects to benefit local social service agencies.
We think Dr. King would approve of that plan. He was all about children – particularly minority kids – having opportunities for a quality education. He wouldn’t want them to waste a single minute of learning to celebrate his birthday.
Unfortunately some people who claim to represent King’s legacy have complained to the Iowa City school board about having classes that day, and the cowardly board voted Wednesday to instruct staff to devise a plan to cancel classes and reschedule that day of instruction, according to the Des Moines Register.
Why would they do that? So kids can sit at home playing video games or watching movies and learn nothing at all?
Royceann Porter, a member of the Iowa City Coalition of Racial Justice, said the school board’s initial decision to have classes Jan. 20 has hurt race relations in the city.

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