Edmund Lee a nine year old pupil of Gateway Science Academy in St Louis, Missouri, was informed that he cannot keep attending his school after his family moves later this year because he is African-American. He says he wants to stay at the school when mom La’Shieka White moves to St. Louis County, outside the school district.
The charter school has a transfer program that would allow Lee to keep studying there after the move, but according to decades-old law, African-Americans are specifically barred from using it.
His mother, White said; ‘When I read the guidelines I was in shock. I was crying.’
His family says Lee is a model student with a 3.83 GPA and above average testing scores in language arts, math, and science. They also said he loves the school, his friends there and the teachers, who also agree that Lee should be allowed to stay.
Lee’s third-grade teacher, Tiffany Luis said: ‘To not see his face in the halls next year would be extremely sad. The family is saying they want to stay. I don’t understand why they can’t.’
However, Gateway Science Academy officials say there is nothing they can do because of the legislation. The school transfer laws, some of which date back decades, are hangovers from efforts to desegregate the Missouri school system.
On the other side of the spectrum, White says she has heard from parents of white children who have also been barred from participating in transfer systems elsewhere in the state.
Source DailyMail Online
