Nobody has ever claimed that the decision to send an email is linked to intelligence. But, perhaps, deciding when not to send an email should be. Unfortunately, people still tend to make statements in email that can cause a furor.
School board member Michael Kundu in Marysville, Washington sent out an email on June 3rd with the subject line, "race and achievement (please circulate)," according to the Marysville Globe. It clearly suggested that academic potential could be rooted in genetics. (The email referenced the work of professor John Philippe Rushton of the University of Western Ontario in Canada.)
"I think what is safe to draw from this is that there is a definitive factor played by racial genetics in intellectual achievement, but we, as a society, are striving to offset that foundation by increasing educational and social opportunities to 'offset' the racial achievement gap," he wrote.
As might be expected, the email generated heated debate at last night's School Board meeting, the newspaper reported. The meeting lasted 4.5 hours and generated debates involving the state Commission on Hispanic Affairs and the NAACP.
"I was offended," Board President Sherri Crenshaw was quoted by the newspaper as saying after she read the e-mail aloud. "I think it's racist. I saw it as my responsibility to speak up and let you know that people who are making decisions about your children could be this ignorant."
No other action was taken last night.
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