California school science project called racist for comments, comparisons of race and IQ scores

A Sacramento high school science project came under fire for stating that low student IQs are linked to certain races. According to the project, the finding also justifies the lack of diversity at the school, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The student who authored the "Race and IQ" project said some races are simply not able to handle the challenging coursework at the C.K. McClatchy High School's elite magnet program. Magnet schools are typically public schools that offer specialized and very rigorous courses.

The project was displayed Monday during the school's annual science fair. Parents, students, and staffers at the school were offended by the display and had it pulled by Wednesday, the Bee reported.

What did parents say about the project?

Parents took offense to the project's premise that “if the average IQs of blacks, Southeast Asians, and Hispanics are lower than the average IQs of non-Hispanic whites and Northeast Asians, then the racial disproportionality in (HISP) is justified,” the Bee reported.

The student who created the project has a history of making racist comments, his teacher told the Bee. He included a book in his bibliography, "The Essential Kafir," which asserts that South African blacks are not as smart as whites. The student, an Asian male, participates in the school's accelerated Humanities and International Studies program, also known as HISP.

To back up his premise, the student reportedly had his peers take an online IQ test. There are 508 students in the magnet program, including 12 African Americans, 80 Hispanics and 104 Asians, the report states.

What is the school district doing?

Although the project was called offensive, it may not violate any district policy, the Bee reported. Still, the district is seriously considering the complaints.

“We are looking into the appropriate response to a situation like this,” said Alex Barrios, Sacramento Unified school district spokesman. “We understand it concerns a lot of people and doesn’t reflect our culture here.”

In addition, Principal Peter Lambert sent an email to parents that said the school condemns any form of discrimination.

Some parents said the science project has revealed an even bigger problem: A lack of diversity in the elite magnet program.