Zuckerberg Closes Schools for Minority Communities amid Trump's Intensified Crackdown on Diversity and Equity Initiatives
In 2016, Mark Zuckerberg and his partner Priscilla Chan, the billionaire duo, opened The Primary School, a tuition-free institution aimed at helping underprivileged families and minority communities in terms of education, healthcare, and social services. Fast forward a decade, and they've decided to shut down The Primary School next year. Reportedly, lack of funding is the reason, a puzzling claim given their wealth.
Over the past ten years, The Primary School has stood as a beacon of hope for families in East Palo Alto, recognizing the struggles faced by low-income families who often lack access to well-funded education options. The school's website explicitly acknowledges the impact of systemic racism on communities of color, and how they strive to address these disparities with a diverse team.
Some folks can't help but wonder if this decision to close the school is reminiscent of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives to the previous administration. This suspicion intensifies when you consider Zuckerberg's attempts to curry favor with the powers that be, trying to kiss up to Trump and his cronies.
Earlier this year, Meta, Zuckerberg's baby, scrapped its DEI programs, taking a good hard swing at inclusivity and economic fairness with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the entity responsible for funding The Primary School. This purge comes as no surprise following Trump's harsh stance on DEI programs, including attempts to withhold federal funds from schools that believe in embracing inclusivity.
Closing The Primary School might just be a strategic move by Zuckerberg, shifting his money towards his current interests and agendas. But for the families who rely on the school, this move leaves them in a lurch. The school's commitment extended beyond the classroom, helping families access healthcare services they wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
Veronica Van Leeuwaarde, a mother of two students who attended The Primary School, told the San Francisco Standard that school employees helped arrange her son's assessment and eventual diagnosis of ADHD, a process that would have been significantly harder for her to navigate on her own. "Honestly, just talking about it makes me want to cry, because it's impacted my family so much," she told the Standard.
The school has agreed to provide families between $1,000 to $10,000 to help with enrollment in another school, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Compared to the average tuition cost of $35,000 for private elementary schools in Palo Alto, and $16,500 statewide, this money won't take these families very far.
Amidst claims of lack of funding, the Chronicle noted that The Primary School did see a drop in contributions, from $8 million in 2022 to $3.7 million in 2023, a significant decline. With the couple boasting a net worth of almost $200 billion, it certainly seems like a worthwhile project they could afford to keep open.
- Gizmodo published an article questioning the closure of The Primary School, a tuition-free institution supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, suggesting it could be a strategic move to allocate funds towards new interests and agendas.
- The tech billionaire, Mark Zuckerberg, has been criticized for his apparent lack of commitment to education-and-self-development, particularly for underprivileged families, considering his resources, as reportedly, The Primary School will shut down next year due to funding issues.
- In light of The Primary School's closure, general news outlets have highlighted stories of families adversely affected by the decision, such as Veronica Van Leeuwaarde, whose children received essential support for health issues, like ADHD, that would have been difficult to navigate without the school's assistance.
