Ashland School District promotes race-based affinity groups for K-12 students and staff

Families in the Ashland School District in Oregon recently received an email announcing the restart of affinity groups throughout the district’s elementary schools. Elementary students in Ashland schools could join student unions based on whether they were Black, Latino, Asian, or Native American. Kindergartners through fifth graders were encouraged to join the monthly meeting groups.

Affinity groups can be found all throughout the Ashland School District, with the elementary, middle, and high schools each hosting their own array of groups. At the Middle School, student affinity groups include:

High Schoolers in the district have their own set of affinity groups which include:

Staff at Ashland schools are also encouraged to join affinity groups on the district and regional levels: