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Pope revives lapsed sex abuse commission amid skepticism

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Their view:	Plenty of room left on this bandwagon

<p>The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board was doubly blessed to have Shawn Walker sitting in the vice president&#8217;s seat when critics started levelling accusations of segregation and racism at the high school consolidation plan.</p><p>Blessed first by the obvious: Walker is the lone minority member on a board that has, for decades, been white (and overwhelmingly male). The child of a father who lived through America&#8217;s turbulent age of segregation against blacks, Walker could respond with a moral authority no other board member could hope to have.</p><p>Blessed second by a quality anyone who knows Walker appreciates: His education, experience and background as a reverend have given him a powerful eloquence and persuasive logic when speaking to important issues.</p><p>All of which was on full display at Monday&#8217;s board meeting when Walker read a written response to public accusations that the board was displaying &#8220;segregation&#8221; in plans to merge Meyers and Coughlin high schools into a new, state of the art building while leaving GAR Memorial High School students in an older building with no substantive plans to match the facilities and programs that will be available at the new school.</p><p>Walker was absolutely right in pointing out this is not a matter of opinion, but of definition.</p><p>&#8220;By definition, segregation is the enforced separation of different racial groups. &#8230; Discrimination, by definition, is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age or sex. We are doing neither.&#8221;</p><p>There is zero evidence this board is deliberately segregating or discriminating. There is plenty of evidence stretching back decades that GAR is the healthiest of the district&#8217;s three high schools, and that if one is to remain open, this is the one needing the least costly repairs. None of which fully absolves the board or the district from the charge.</p><p>There may be no active segregation or discrimination, but over the years the Times Leader has presented data that shows:</p><p>&#8226; There is evidence of passive re-segregation occurring simply because neighborhood demographics around a school change to be dominated by a minority, making the majority of school enrollment minority students;</p><p>&#8226; Minority students here are disciplined more often than their white counterparts, reflecting a national trend;</p><p>&#8226; The board has failed for years to create a teaching staff more reflective of the diverse student body.</p><p>None of this can be set squarely at the board&#8217;s feet. The board does not control where people move, it cannot micromanage district discipline and hiring minority teachers requires applications by minority candidates.</p><p>But neither can the board be fully absolved. These issues have evolved for decades. Proactive approaches almost surely could have mitigated them. And the consolidation plan has never fully addressed all three high schools adequately.</p><p>No. There is no segregation or racism perpetrated by the board or administration. But there are problems. And it&#8217;s time for a fuller discussion.</p><style>
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Our View: Segregation charge wrong, but issues for WBA remain