Exclusive | NYC public school under fire for workshop that splits parents, staff into separate racial groups

A Manhattan public school is treating parents and teachers as “separate” but equal.The P.S.003 Charrette School in the West Village is hosting a workshop for parents and staffers that separate them into “affinity” groups by race and ethnicity — a move slammed as discriminatory by legal experts.“What Does it Mean to be White in a Multi-Racial Community at PS3? — How does whiteness affect the collective child experience at PS3, as well as the entire community? White-identifying PS3 community members – SIGN UP HERE,” reads the invite posted on the school’s website.The June 16 “Listening Circles” event is being organized in partnership with a consulting firm called Liberation Spaces that promotes “equity and liberation.”“Folks will gather on zoom with Liberation Spaces for initial guidelines, and then break out into smaller affinity groups with the facilitators based on racial identity,” reads the invitation for parents and educators.“Bring your valuable perspective and ideas for the future of our school,” it states.“BIPOC Folks – Educators, staff, parents and caregivers who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx/Hispanic, Asian, and other people of color – SIGN UP HERE,” it adds — while white parents and teachers are told to participate in a separate group.The bottom of the invitation cites sources of support for the program, including an article titled “Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People” and another headlined “Becoming an Anti-racist White Ally: How a White Affinity Group Can Help.”Some families and educators were shocked at being advised to separate into groups by race.“The PS 3 PTA Charrette Listening Circles facilitated by Liberation Spaces is planning on segregating parents into ‘BIPOC Folks’ and ‘White-identifying’ affinity groups,” noted Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers who said he was contacted by PS 3 parents who objected to the event.“That doesn’t build co...