-Caveat Lector- San Francisco Schools To Diversify SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Under a federal court order to change their admissions practices, school officials are proposing a ``diversity index'' - ranking students by income, English proficiency, test scores and ethnicity - to determine which campuses to allow students to attend. A student whose ``individual profile will contribute to increasing the diversity of (a) school will have priority for assignment/admission to that school,'' according to the plan, worked out over the summer by a 27-member committee of district employees. U.S. District Judge William Orrick will consider the proposal at a Nov. 5 hearing. Under the 62,000-student district's previous admissions rules, a school was barred from having more than 45 percent of students from any one ethnic group and required to have at least four ethnic groups represented. That system, brought about by an NAACP lawsuit, was intended to remedy past discrimination against black and Latino students. But it also prompted another lawsuit, filed in 1994, in which several Chinese-American families claimed their children were being unfairly excluded from some schools - including one of the city's most prestigious. School officials, the NAACP and lawyers for Chinese-American students and parents agreed to a settlement in February which said, in part, that ``race or ethnicity may not be the primary or predominant consideration in determining . . . admissions criteria.'' Under the district's proposal stemming from that settlement, four selection criteria will be used: Socioeconomic status: Students' rankings would depend on whether they are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, live in public housing or receive public assistance. Academic achievement: Students would be ranked based on their performance on California's annual achievement test. Language skill: Ranking would be based on students English fluency. Race-ethnicity: Students would be broken into nine ethnic groups: black, white, Latino, Chinese-American, Japanese-American, Korean-American, Filipino-American, American Indian and ``other nonwhite.'' While some parents praised the proposal, critics said considering race in any form violates terms of the settlement. The proposal is a ``blueprint to destroy the concept of neighborhood schools in the name of diversity,'' said the Chinese American Democratic Club, a group that speaks for families opposed to using race in school assignments. ``The criteria are supposed to be race-neutral, but this proposal includes the use of race,'' said David Levine, an attorney representing the Chinese-American families in their class-action suit. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
