Northwest High School principal Fairouz Bishara-Rantisi put out a statement on Wednesday saying the quote “of course the white girl would suggest a USA day” was not an accurate representation of her conversation with members of the student council who wanted a USA themed day for homecoming week.
Bishara-Rantisi was pressed on what exactly she said, and she offered this explanation:
“When sharing with the students personal negative experiences I had as an educator, the students said that they had never seen that in Waukee. I clarified for the students that their personal experiences as white girls will always differ from mine as a Hispanic woman, but it does not negate my experiences or that they exist in different communities even if they are not visible to them.”
Bishara-Rantisi said she told the girls that “we all go through life experiencing things in different ways depending on different factors, and we have to be sensitive to that.”
Interesting approach from a professional educator — the use of ‘white girls.’ And very interesting to read that personal experiences as white girls will always differ from a Hispanic woman’s.
Always differ. That’s an absolute.
Bishara-Rantisi already admitted Northwest was not reciting the Pledge of Allegiance daily as required by Iowa law, now one has to wonder if she has also crossed a line with a potential violation of House File 802, a bill that prohibits race stereotyping.
The school, essentially, is claiming that students who are saying Bishara-Rantisi said ‘of course the white girl would suggest a USA day’ — or something very close to that — are lying.
Meanwhile, Bishara-Rantisi never denied saying it in her immediate statement after the fact, and actually used the term “white girls” in her explanation.
It’s all interesting, especially considering this tweet from 2017:
[…] homecoming week and referred to the students as ‘white girls.’” The Iowa Standard also reported that the principal in a statement then further clarified her […]