October 29, 2002
Nancy Waldman, President
Seattle Public Schools
School Board Office
2445 Third Avenue S.
Seattle, WA
98134
Dear Ms. Waldman,
As you may know, the ACLU of Washington has a long-standing interest in
the preservation of integrated schools in Seattle. We are concerned that the proposed changes to the student
assignment policies at TOPS back away from the District’s commitment to
integration and put in jeopardy one of the District’s finest and most diverse
schools.
The recent school board assignment proposal for TOPS gives priority to
families living in the Eastlake/North Capitol Hill area, a predominantly
Caucasian neighborhood. We oppose any
proposals that would change TOPS from an alternative school serving a
geographically and ethnically diverse population to a school primarily for
those children who can afford to live closest.
Developed as an alternative school, TOPS has the most diverse student
body north of downtown. The majority of
students of color at TOPS can boast about their successful test scores. The school attracts students from the entire
district. This is a success.
There are many lessons the District can draw from the popularity and
success of TOPS, but changing the composition of the school enrollment to be more
neighborhood-based is not one of them.
The growing interest of Eastlake/North Capitol Hill area parents in the
successful TOPS program should be handled by identifying what works so well at
TOPS and replicating it, not by changing TOPS’ assignment policies to dilute
its racial diversity.
It is ironic that the school district would consider diluting TOPS when
just last week the District’s lawyers argued before the Washington Supreme
Court that an assignment policy based only on maintaining neighborhood schools
is insufficient for the educational needs of the District. The District should not back away from its
commitment to provide quality education in racially diverse schools by
modifying its assignment policies to favor Caucasian families.
The American Civil Liberties Union urges you to maintain the diversity
of TOPS, rather than change its assignment policy to one that perpetuates
patterns of segregation in Seattle schools.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Taylor
Executive Director
KT/ig