Specialized high school testing defenders are ‘bigots’ says NYC Department of Education official

The comments were made on a now deleted New York Post Facebook post of an article about Meisha Ross-Porter, the New York City Schools Chancellor, calling for an end to the testing she deemed "unnacceptable," a test that is passed with flying colors by Asian students.

Of those that passed the testing required to get into New York City's specialized high schools, 53.7 percent were Asian, 27.9 percent were white, 5.4 percent were Hispanic, and just 3.6 percent were black.

Members of the Ozone Park Residents Block association group, saying that Ross-Porter was attacking the "hard working" Asian minority group, have called for er resignation in response.

Queens Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at NYC Department of Education Alain Berrouet commented on that post, calling the commenters that defended the testing "bigots."

"Just more ‘Bigots’ on this thread trying to justify the soft intellectual genocide of black children. We see you," said the black official, according to screenshots that the New York Post reviewed.

One person responded, "The secret is study hard," to which Berrouet stated "so are you saying that Black students are lazy and don’t ‘study hard’? Stop with the coded language and just admit to your bigotry and belief of Stereotypes."

Berrouet was called out by another user, saying "You took ‘study hard’ as a racist comment. Which is bulls–t."

Ross-Porter issued a statement on Thursday denouncing the use of testing, saying that its time to give more students the chance to attend these schools.

"I know from my 21 years as an educator that far more students could thrive in our Specialized High Schools, if only given the chance," said Ross-Porter. "Instead, the continued use of the Specialized High School Admissions Test will produce the same unacceptable results over and over again, and it’s far past the time for our students to be fairly represented in these schools."

Asian-American activists called out Ross-Porter for diminishing the accomplishments of Asian students, considering the rise of attacks on members of the minority group.

"What is unacceptable is the targeting of one particular group," Wai Wah Chin, an activist, said. "Especially with what we see happening on the streets of this city. What is unacceptable is telling Asians that they don’t belong in these schools despite their hard work."