A Denver, Colorado, school district is under fire after one of its schools planned to host a recurring “families of color playground night.”
What are the details?
According to Centennial Elementary School’s website, the event takes place on the second Wednesday of the month at the school’s playground, weather permitting.
Christopher Rufo, journalist and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, tweeted a photo of the school’s marquee board advertising the event, which said “Families of Color Playground Night” and detailed the date and time as Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 4:10 p.m.
Rufo captioned the tweet, “Denver Public Schools now promoting racially-segregated playtime — for ‘equity.'”
What else?
A spokesperson for Denver Public Schools told Fox News that the school has decided to host the events in response to parents’ requests.
“Our school leaders met with some of the black families whose children attend our school to determine ways for these families to feel more included in our school community,” the spokesperson told the outlet. “Some of these families shared with us that, since the only time many of them see one another is at drop-off and pick-up times, we host some events where black families can meet one another, connect with one another, and share their experiences about the school with one another. We are honoring their request. All families are welcome to attend all of our events, and families from a variety of backgrounds have done so.”
The district’s statement added that it “remains committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of inclusion and belonging, where our students, families and team members are safe and welcomed.”
Dave Kopel, a law professor at Denver University, tweeted about the event and said that such a meeting might be in violation of the Colorado state constitution, which prohibits discrimination based on race or color.
Kopel wrote, “In violation of Colo. Const. art. IX, sec. 8: ‘nor shall any distinction or classification of pupils be made on account of race or color.'”