Open school enrollment..unless you're white?

[beagledave]

The state of Iowa has an open enrollment policy for its public schools. The law allows parents to choose the Iowa public school district in which their children attend school. Each child brings about $4,500 in state aid to that school.

The law has a loophole, and my hometown schoolboard has voted to exercie that loophole as outlined here. School districts are allowed to link a school desgregation policy to that open enrollment policy. The net effect for Davenport will be that “white” students in Davenport will not be allowed to open enroll in other nearby districts. If you are not “Caucasian”, you are free to open enroll in other nearby districts.

Currently, as the article states, 88% of students who open enroll out of Davenport are defined as “Caucasian”. If the policy had been in effect this past year. 57 white students would have been prevented from open enrolling in another public school (and I guess…most would have stayed in the Davenport public schools).

As I stated earlier, this is allowed under existing Iowa law. A few qustions come to mind.

1. What is “Caucasian”? Is that a self identifiable trait? Could I hypothetically self identify as something else in order to open enroll elsewhere?

2. Does the loophole essentially make the open enrollment law a farce for a good chunk of Iowa’s residents? (similar policies exist in other large Iowa communities)

3. Is forcing people to stay in one school district (or homeschool, or private school…not always an easy choice) the best way (or legitimate way) to improve a school district?

[december]

San Francisco went through something like this a few years ago. Students were moved around in part to create proper ethnic balance. Parents found they could get around the rules by choosing to describe their child as whatever race would allow them to get the school they wanted. Since race is self-defined, this could not be prohibited. However, the school did impose a rule limiting a student to no more than two changes of race. (I’d put a smiley here, but it’s not a joke.)

I hope things work out better in Davenport.

[beagledave]

thanks for the info december.

Now I’m a bit confused, though. I tried to find out more about the situation in San Fran, and found this web site…which sells a book on “how to get the public school you want in SF”.

It says that…

Major changes: In the past, ethnicity was one of three major factors that determined where your child would be assigned. African-American and Latino students received special consideration. But Federal courts have ruled that ethnicity can no longer be a factor in assigning students. Thus, San Francisco Unified cannot use ethnicity or race in determining assignments. In fact, you are no longer even obligated to declare your child’s ethnicity on the OER form.

Is the state law in Iowa (with the loophole) and Davenport policy in violation of federal law?