Minnesota Middle School To Eliminate 'F' Letter Grade to Combat 'Systemic Racism'

Grading middle school students based on their test scores is racist. That is according to Sunrise Park Middle School in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The school announced Monday it would no longer enforce the "F" letter grade, the 0-49.9 percentiles, to fight back against systemic racism.

Luckily, the school provided a video to elaborate on its grand decision:

"Our whole intent is to ensure that grades focus on the process of learning," Principal Christina Pierre said.

Well, that's good. School should be about learning.

Pierre goes on: "Therefore, grades will not include behaviors, attitude, tardiness to class, whether the assignment was turned in late or on time. There are other ways that we can communicate those things to parents."

So show up whenever you want, however you want, in any form you want. It's nice to see a middle school representing the real world. 

First attempts may also be racist.

Associate Principal Norman Bell encouraged students to retake/revise tests, quizzes, papers, projects and have a 10-day window from the date the teacher posts the grade.

None of this fights back against systemic racism. The school is only lowering the bar for students. Pierre says the goal is to "learn." Allowing students to fail does not help that cause. If there are learning disparities between groups, as the school says, it suggests those groups are not learning at the same level as others. To fix that, and the school must, Sunrise Park should help that group, perhaps by tutoring not weakening the entire grading system. That's the pathway to "learning."

Unless, of course, Sunrise Park Middle School isn't making this change to improve learning. Maybe the school is dropping the "F" as a statement, a proactive shield against the mob.

"You can't call us racist. We dropped the F letter grade," the school will soon be able to say.