The Charleston County School Board recently approved a proposal to make the application for Academic Magnet High School and other Magnet Schools in Charleston County completely online for the 2016-2017 school year. There will no longer be a physical/paper option to apply to the school. We, Academic Magnet High School, are the #7 ranked high school in the nation, but we one major flaw… DIVERSITY. Of about 650 students at our school, fewer than 30 are African American or Hispanic and even fewer receive free or reduced lunch (in a district comprised of over a 50% minority student population).

This move, would make the hard task as a low income (likely minority) student to gain admittance into this school even harder. By making the application completely online, the CCSD School Board is basically saying that “we expect a certain type of student to apply this school”. If you do not have access to a computer or a guidance counselor who will advocate for you and ensure that you are able to apply (as many do not), you will miss out on an opportunity to receive an education from this great public school. As AMHS Alumni, Uriel Salazar Angelini put it:

“I would not have been able to apply to Academic Magnet if the application was online. As a first-generation minority student who made the most out of his experience at Magnet by currently attending Duke University and being accepted at several other universities, I know that this would be a tremendous roadblock for some students”.

Wando Teacher, Sara Rutledge added:  “Magnet schools. . . in other cities have admissions practices that actively recruit minorities/low-income students AND admit more because they have lotteries for all students that meet admissions standards. A LOTTERY is one way to EQUITY”.

This proposal, approved by the board would further eliminate many young students’ opportunities to aspire for a more rigorous education simply because of their socioeconomic state. It will add to keeping a segment of our population “below” while making it easier for those at the top to remain there.

The application for this school should be available in both online and paper format. Click HERE and share/sign the petition to overturn this decision and help us make the application process accessible for ALL, not just the privileged.

As summed up, by Wando student Colleen Yost:

“. . .the school systems are unfair. How are you supposed to better your life if you have barriers set up to hold you back from all the opportunities you deserve? Every human being deserves the opportunity to achieve. Not just some”.

Use your voice and click HERE to make a difference.