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Family Thrilled At Policy Change
State
Education Department add mixed category.
Marcy and Adrian Carr who refused to choose a racial designation for
their five-year-old daughter because they felt it would have been a denial
of part of her heritage will now have the option to choose a 'mixed'
or 'other' races
category.
The new change came after pressure from other mixed-race families and
Staten Island's congressman forced the state Education Department to
drop its insistence that only five racial/ethnic categories be used to
describe schoolchildren according to federal classifications.
The state's Education Department said it would add a category for 'mixed'
or 'other' races on its Student Ethnic Identification form beginning
in the 2006-07 school year.
State Education Department spokesman Tom Dunn acknowledged receiving
letters about the case but did not attribute the policy change to political
pressure.
While it's not clear how many students the change in policy will affect,
the 2000 census showed that on Staten Island alone, there were nearly
8,000 individuals who identified themselves as being of two or more races.
An additional 853 people identified themselves as being of an 'other
race' than those specified.
Mrs Carr Said she is thrilled,
'I'm very surprised that they're going to do right by the kids of the
city of New York, but thrilled nonetheless.'
State Education Department Commissioner Richard Mills said, 'People should
have an option on the form to identify themselves correctly and not to
be shoehorned into a box that is not applicable or reflective of that
person's heritage or identity, I'm pleased that they've agreed to make
the changes.'
Source:
