NYC Private School Madness - Grace Church Edition

This is almost hard to keep up with. Dalton must be so happy they're not the only school that looks foolish right now.

About Grace Church. 

Paul Rossi

You will recall that a middle school math teacher there named Paul Rossi reached his boiling point last week and went public with Grace's DEI and CRT-driven insanity. You can read it here. 

First, the school said, "of course we won't fire you."

Then they said, "maybe you'd better stay home, you know, for you own safety." 

Safety from whom? Were the fifth graders planning some sort of attack? Or perhaps the lunch lady? Paul said he was willing to take the risk.

So then they said, "Actually, you should just stay home for our safety."

Did they discover that Paul was bringing nunchucks to school?

George Davison

Then just yesterday, the headmaster, George Davison, sent out a letter condemning Paul, saying his missive contains "glaring omissions and inaccuracies," without saying what those were. (They never do. See: the Brearley School.) 

And yes, Paul was all but fired. "It is clear to me that Paul cannot be an effective teacher at Grace any more," says Davison. He can't even enter the building after teaching there for many years. Because he might say something random and offensive like, "I think we should be blind to skin color." People could get hurt.

You can read the Davison's execrable letter here.

Of course, Paul knew this would happen. Woke justice is swift indeed. I have spoken to him many times. He loved his job, and he didn't want to leave, but he felt he had to do the right thing, to say something.

This is a modern day tragedy, wrapped in a farce.

Does everyone realize what's at stake here? Our finest schools are now marching in lockstep to a perverse, cult-like ideology, one that alleges to fight racism but is, itself, deeply racist. Dissent is not tolerated.

Everyone who enables this, from the board members to the parents who stay silent (and even write checks) should be ashamed.

But Paul, God Bless him, will not go quietly. He has written a response, and here it is:

Dear George, I am writing in response to the letter that you sent over the weekend to my colleagues. Grace’s public story — the story it is telling to the press and to its own community — has been very different from what you have told me. In light of your statement that my essay “contains glaring omissions and inaccuracies,” and in support of those who will inevitably be scared into silence by seeing the price I am now paying for speaking up, I am compelled to share what you have told me in our previous conversations.

In the letter, you reaffirm that Grace’s “commitment to antiracism is consistent with our identity and mission” and that “it has been at the heart of our work for years.” 

I believe that you share my desire to ensure that racism does not mar the experience of students at Grace. But, like me, you also expressed “grave doubts about some of the doctrinaire stuff that gets spouted at us, in the name of antiracism.” When I told you “they’re fighting a revolution” and “will hollow out Grace and move on to the next institution,” you acknowledged that “they've hollowed out a bunch of other ones ahead of us.” 

You write that you “find it regrettable that Paul Rossi chose to air his grievances with the school in the press.” But as you well know, speaking publicly about this was hardly my first choice. Over the course of several years, I have made my specific concerns clear, not only to you, but to the Head of High School, and the Assistant Head. These concerns centered on the impact of this doctrinaire ideology on our students. Even when I have simply tried to expose our students to alternative points of view in the classroom, I have been repeatedly shut down. The school’s response to my efforts to raise these concerns internally left me no choice but to speak about them publicly. 

In the letter, you say that “the wellbeing of our community is our first priority,” and that Grace cares “deeply about human dignity.” 

And yet you admitted to me that Grace Church is, in fact, “demonizing white people for being born,” and that the school is making white students “feel less than, for nothing that they are personally responsible for.” 

While I cannot know for certain, I suspect that the reason you have not shared these concerns with the broader Grace community is because you know exactly what happens to people who do — it is what is happening to me right now. I understand that. It is because of the fear I see in so many people, including so many of our students, that I felt compelled to speak out even though I knew I would pay a steep price for it. 

I love this school and its students, and I want to see it thrive. I want to see a renewed commitment to free expression, viewpoint diversity, and true education. And I think the public and, in particular, the Grace community deserve to know that these concerns are not mine alone. 

Sincerely, Paul

Here is my most fervent wish: that Paul hires an employment lawyer and sues Grace's ass off.

Below is a list of Grace Church board members. At least Grace hasn't purged this yet, unlike Brearley and Dalton. Note the presence of our old buddy Jim Best.

Olivia W. Douglas                  Chair

Ann Mellow                           Vice Chair

Tom Geniesse                         Treasurer

Karin Greenfield-Sanders.      Secretary

Jim Best

Kirby Chin

Carolina Esquenazi-Shaio

Donna Garbin

Greg Gushee

David Heller

Yoo Jin Kim

George Majoros

Renee Noel

Naomi Nwosu-Stewart

Folake Ologunja

Camille Orme

Dominique Schulte

Barbara Sibley

Jason Slibeck

Erik Sorensen

Valerie Toscano

Felicia Washington

Melanie Weston

Kenji Yoshino