http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...hool-trip.htmlQuote:
A PRIMARY school teacher is under investigation for organising a school trip — only available to black children.
The member of staff took 30 kids to meet an African-American rocket scientist but all white pupils were forced to stay behind.
Mike Madison, the principal at the underfire school in Michigan, US, said the trip was designed to close the gap in achievement between white and black pupils.
But parents complained it was discriminatory and a blatant breach of state law which bans racial favouritism.
Booed
The pupils were taken to hear rocket boffin Alec Gallimore speak at the University of Michigan.
He is the university's propulsion lab director and an aerospace engineering professor.
But the trip backfired as parents protested and children who went on the trip were booed by their classmates on their return.
Mr Madison has already tried to defuse the situation by sending a letter home.
He wrote: "In hindsight, this field trip could have been approached and arranged in a better way.
"It was not a wasted venture for I know one day they might want to aspire to be the first astronaut or scientist standing on the Planet Mars."
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But the letter only fuelled the controversy.
Leon Drolet, former chairman of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, blasted the move.
He said: "If it was directed, guided, organised by the school district, they cannot say they are doing a field trip today for blacks only, or for whites only, or for Hispanics only or for Asians only."
A local education spokeswoman said: "The district is investigating the allegations of violation of the State of Michigan Proposal Two.
"There was no ill-intent or malice in the principal and teachers planning this field trip."
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