A school board member in California had to apologize after saying that a school full of mostly white kids should get air conditioning while a school of mostly Latino children should go without, because they're "more accustomed" to it.
According to CBS San Francisco, the district apparently only has the funds for air conditioning at one of the elementary schools. John Swett Elementary is predominantly white, and students at La Juntas Elementary are predominantly Hispanic.
When the topic came up at a public school board meeting, Denise Elsken said:
“I would say 95% of the students at La Juntas do not have air conditioning in their homes. So whether that means those students are more acclimated and can handle a little more heat than the John Swett students — which I would say 95% of their residences have air conditioning in their homes.”
Needless to say, people were pissed. That forced Elsken to explain that her words were "twisted."
“I’m sorry that was taken in a way that sounded discriminatory. It wasn’t discriminatory, it was fairly factual.”
