Assembly for minority students at Utah high school questioned

ROY — A high school principal and an elected city official have been criticized for organizing an assembly they hoped would inspire minority students to do their best in school.

Roy High Principal Dale Pfister confirmed that an assembly was held at the school Friday to which only minority students were invited to listen to Dave Tafoya, a Hispanic member of the city council and candidate for mayor. Tafoya lost the election Tuesday.

Some voiced concern that white students were not invited, Pfister said.

Comprehensive Guidance, a counseling and guidance program that comes from the Utah State Office of Education, was the main reason for the assembly, Pfister said. In No Child Left Behind, every ethnic group is broken down by subgroups to determine if all these subgroups are being successful, he said.

“Our data shows these ethnic groups are lagging behind in graduation rates and test scores, for whatever reason,” Pfister said. “Those are things we have to deal with. We want to help each group to be successful.”

In an effort to reach students in these ethnic subgroups, Pfister said one idea was to invite someone with a similar background to speak about diversity and the importance of graduating from high school.

Tafoya, a Roy High graduate who works closely with the drivers education program, was invited to speak to about 100 students. The opportunity was a first for him, but he felt it went well.

“Like any high school group, some looked like they were listening and some probably wished they weren’t there. Some said thank you afterward. I appreciated that,” Tafoya said.

“I am happy to speak to any group, any time. If it helps one get through to graduation, it’s worth it. For someone to try and make something negative out of that is sad.”

White students were not part of the assembly because they were not in the target group in this particular case, Pfister said.

“We have programs in place for all the subgroups,” he said, “but our overall statistics show this group struggles a little more in school than some of the other groups. They are the groups we were trying to help out with this particular activity.”

Both Tafoya and Pfister received calls and e-mails from people who were angry because white students were excluded.

One woman told Tafoya she was going to vote for him until she learned about the assembly. She called him “racist,” he said.

“I did get a call from one father who didn’t seem to understand. I am sorry someone might be offended, but we did it to help kids and I don’t apologize for that,” Pfister said.

Laura South, whose daughter attends Roy High, said whatever occurred, it wasn’t right.

“It is passing on a terrible message to the students of all races. Can you imagine if there had been an all-white assembly for any reason?” she said.

Both Tafoya and Pfister believe the backlash was politically motivated by Tafoya’s candidacy for mayor.

“It always happens at the 11th hour. It’s totally outrageous and crazy, but unfortunately it’s politics and it happens,” Tafoya said.

“Roy High does a great job. I am proud to be a graduate and am proud of the programs they have for all students.”