Lehigh Valley Schools- Diversity, personalized attention, public v. Private

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by ringler24

Definitely not segregated in the forced sense. But segregated in the sense that generally only one race dominates the population. The word by definition means separated. I think there will always be affluent minorities willing to move into white dominant suburbs. For us, we value cultural and socio-economic diversity. Hence we aren't drawn to suburbs in the first place since you don't find socio-economic diversity there.

Two things, many of our small towns were settled over 200 years ago. They are small towns, not suburban sprawled houses. Second, I'd argue about the socio-economic diversity. The boroughs of many LV towns have row homes, trailer parks as well as developments with the typical two story colonials, huge homes on a few acres and farms. The cities are definitely lacking in the farm area.

[ringler24]

Yeah true. But like I said it's the combo of diversity that's lacking in small LV towns and suburbs. The towns have a mix of socio economic diversity but not racial diversity and the suburbs have neither.

[toobusytoday]

There is for sure a lack of racial diversity in small towns and suburbs. I wish that was not true but as my favorite President said, "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

[Patmcpsu]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Two things, many of our small towns were settled over 200 years ago. They are small towns, not suburban sprawled houses. Second, I'd argue about the socio-economic diversity. The boroughs of many LV towns have row homes, trailer parks as well as developments with the typical two story colonials, huge homes on a few acres and farms. The cities are definitely lacking in the farm area.

The age of the towns is irrelevant. For example, the town I grew up near (West Chester) was founded in 1762 and its downtown (with its fair share of minorities) shares the same school district as the surrounding suburbs. The same could be said for basically all the towns around Philadelphia. Hell, even boujie Media is 11% black (it's only 168 years old though *sarcasm*).

The difference is that the towns around Philadelphia actually have a fair-share of minorities. The towns around Allentown don't.

[ringler24]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

There is for sure a lack of racial diversity in small towns and suburbs. I wish that was not true but as my favorite President said, "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

It goes both ways. White people don't move into predominantly minority areas. No one wants to be the pioneer. We certainly don't. We move where the diversity exists as do most people like us.

[Patmcpsu]

Originally Posted by ringler24

It goes both ways. White people don't move into predominantly minority areas. No one wants to be the pioneer. We certainly don't. We move where the diversity exists as do most people like us.

My theory is that areas become diverse by shifts to its housing market. Looking at postwar US history (from my white, millennial perspective):

• After WW2, lots of new construction started due to our newfound prosperity. The new construction was mostly small row homes in any significant urban area. These were built for a middle class (read: white) family.
• Some time around the late-70s / early-80s, the typically middle class (read: white) family upgraded to a standalone home. This was probably the result of the wife beginning to work, which required a 2nd car and a 2nd income letting the family afford more house.
• After this "white flight" from the city to the suburbs, the inner-city row homes became affordable to minorities, which moved into the previously-white neighborhood. Some white people remained though.
• Now, with (white) millennials being priced-out of the overpriced suburban market, some are moving back into the exact areas that were left in the 70s/80s. Otherwise, if they stay in the overpriced suburban market, all they can afford are newly-built townhouses (which aren't unlike the postwar rowhomes, just in a different setting).

The point I'm getting at is that individuals don't steer the area's dynamic, the dynamic of the area steers the individuals. As neighborhoods shift from one "type" to another, it all gets mixed-up. This is most evident in a dynamic area like New York City, where there used to be "certain neighborhoods" but now any given block has multiple races sharing it.

Which brings us to Lehigh Valley. Lehigh Valley is extremely stubborn when it comes to any change. This stubbornness not only leads to lack of "shaking things up", but it also reinforces antiquated attitudes about race in general.

[toobusytoday]

Systemic racism as it affects housing is breathtaking and something not taught in schools, AFAIK. Our government made laws to prevent people of color getting loans, even veterans, when it was available to everyone else. They also allowed banks to discriminate. https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/52665...egated-america.

It happened, it was a wrong that cannot really be righted. We moved to our area for the schools and proximity to my husbands job. While we would have preferred a school district that was racially diverse, what was more important to me was a small school district in a small town where I felt our children would be nurtured and allowed to spread their wings. They sure did and all live in those very diverse areas that we're talking about. If racial diversity is a #1 priority then, yep, my town is not the right place. However, if you'd like to live in a place that is trying to become more diverse and inclusive, where difference is not tolerated, but celebrated, you might want to look at Southern Lehigh. We're trying.....

[blazerj]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Systemic racism as it affects housing is breathtaking and something not taught in schools, AFAIK. Our government made laws to prevent people of color getting loans, even veterans, when it was available to everyone else. They also allowed banks to discriminate. https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/52665...egated-america.

It happened, it was a wrong that cannot really be righted. We moved to our area for the schools and proximity to my husbands job. While we would have preferred a school district that was racially diverse, what was more important to me was a small school district in a small town where I felt our children would be nurtured and allowed to spread their wings. They sure did and all live in those very diverse areas that we're talking about. If racial diversity is a #1 priority then, yep, my town is not the right place. However, if you'd like to live in a place that is trying to become more diverse and inclusive, where difference is not tolerated, but celebrated, you might want to look at Southern Lehigh. We're trying.....

Really?

Southern Lehigh High School students have been yelling the N-word in halls, calling black students "cotton pickers," calling lesbians "dykes" and drawing swastikas on school property, according to an email Principal Christine Siegfried recently sent to parents.

Email from principal: Southern Lehigh students used racist, homophobic slurs, raised arms in Hitler salute

[Patmcpsu]

Originally Posted by blazerj

Really?



Email from principal: Southern Lehigh students used racist, homophobic slurs, raised arms in Hitler salute

Oh yeah. And this:
Saucon Valley family speaks about racism in schools - The Morning Call

And this (I know it's Quakertown, but close enough in my book):
Quakertown middle school students hurl racial slurs at cheerleaders - The Morning Call

The Lehigh Valley is 1 hour north of Philly and 1.5 hours west of NYC. The shadows of these cities make people in the Lehigh Valley think they're "country folk" and act like a bad caricature of what they assume Alabama is like. In reality, they're in a suburban bedroom community, and not nearly as sophisticated as they should be.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by blazerj

Really?



Email from principal: Southern Lehigh students used racist, homophobic slurs, raised arms in Hitler salute

And as all reporting, if you read the article you'll see this was not some sort of KKK event and the majority of students were really mad that it happened. Since those events, the school, and the district has implemented diversity training for staff and students and a new HS Principal was hired. A student group was re-ignited in direct reaction to what happened with support from staff and administration: https://www.slsd.org/Page/12819