South Carolina elementary school apologizes for a leadership event where boys wore ties at a 'summit' and heard from 'male role models from the community' and girls went to a 'retreat' and met with high school cheerleaders
The Pickens Elementary School in Pickens, South Carolina, came under fire after it posted a series of photos on Facebook from a school event on November 19.
The images showed that the students - third through fifth graders - had been divided up by gender, with boys participating in one set of activities and girls doing another set.
A South Carolina elementary school came under fire after posting a series of pictures from a gender-segregated event in which boys were seen wearing shirts and ties at a 'summit'
The girls, meanwhile, were shown wearing matching t-shirts in the gym at their 'retreat'
The school gave the boys' event the business-like 'summit' title meant to 'ignite' them, while the girls' event was given a softer 'retreat' name and was meant to teach them to 'shine'
At the 'IGNITE boys summit,' the boys, who were seen wearing ties and collard shirts, were largely pictured sitting at their desks while being addressed and interacting with men who were also wearing business-like attire.
The girls participating in the 'SHINE girls retreat,' meanwhile, were predominantly pictured wearing matching red t-shirts, sitting on the floor in the school gym, listening to local high school cheerleaders speak, and writing on signs.
According to The State, the caption accompanying the Facebook post was: 'Male role models from the community spoke with the boys about leadership and the importance of character. The Pickens Varsity cheer team spoke with the girls about how to work together to help everyone shine.'
A backlash erupted on social media with critics complaining about the differing experiences for boys and girls, as some accused officials of sexism.
At some point, the photo caption was then revised to read: 'Role models from the community and student athletes from Pickens High spoke with students about leadership and character.'
The school also revealed that the girls were treated to a lecture by high school cheerleaders
The girls were also shown sitting on the gym floor writing on signs during their 'retreat'
Two female police offers were also shown to be in attendance during the girls' 'retreat'
The boys at their 'summit,' however, were seen sitting at tables while being addressed by 'Male role models from the community'
The boys are seen here sitting at desks, wearing ties and collared shirts with notebooks out
Another look at the boys' 'summit,' in which 'male role models' were seen speaking with them
A Facebook user revealed the elementary school's original caption for the events' photos
After being raked over the coals, the school district changed the caption on the images
Removing the fact that the middle schoolers had been segregated by gender and reframing the female cheerleaders as 'student athletes' failed to mollify the critics, however.
'Replacing a sexist caption with a more gender-neutral one, unfortunately, will not magically erase the underlying conceptual fallacy and bias behind this event. You've got to do better by these kids next time,' one Facebook user wrote.
'You can edit the text as much as you want, but as long as you keep the photos, people are going to still know that you are operating in a sexist vacuum from yesteryear,' wrote another Facebook user, a father whose children were in the same school district.
The dad went on to point out the fact that the boys' event was called a leadership 'summit,' while the girls' event had been a 'retreat' about working together and shining.
'It is 2019, and as a public education system, you need to pay more attention to the public, and how the world has evolved,' he wrote. 'That includes enlightening yourselves on contemporary issues of gender, equity, diversity, and inclusion.'
Social media users expressed their disappointment at the school's decision to set up the events the way they did
The school district has now apologized for the 'format' of the gender-divided character development event.
A spokesperson for the Pickens County school district told The State that the events were meant to empower students.
'We will reflect on the concerns that members of our community have expressed about the format of this event to ensure that future events at all schools send a message of inclusion and equality,' the spokesperson said in a statement to the newspaper.
The spokesperson added that the school district takes 'these concerns seriously.'
'It was not the school or district’s intent to send a message that students must display different character traits or pursue different career goals based on their gender, but it is clear that this is the message that was sent as a result of some of the differences in the programs, and we apologize,' the statement concluded.
Regarding the sartorial difference between the boys and girls, the spokesperson said the Pickens Elementary School had picked what the boys would wear, while the girls were given a survey which showed that the majority wanted to dress casually.
Social media users who supported the school's decisions pointed out that in addition to the high school cheerleaders, the elementary school girls also hosted two female police officers and an English teacher with a PhD.
South Carolina elementary school apologize over gender-segregated boys 'summit' and girls 'retreat' | Daily Mail Online
- South Carolina's Pickens Elementary School was criticized and accused of sexism after posting photos of gender-segregated school events
- Boys participating in a 'summit' and wore shirts and ties while sitting at desks
- Girls in a 'retreat' wore matching t-shirts and sat on the floor of the school's gym
- The boys were seen being lectured by 'male role models from the community'
- Meanwhile, high school cheerleaders spoke to the girls about working together
The Pickens Elementary School in Pickens, South Carolina, came under fire after it posted a series of photos on Facebook from a school event on November 19.
The images showed that the students - third through fifth graders - had been divided up by gender, with boys participating in one set of activities and girls doing another set.
A South Carolina elementary school came under fire after posting a series of pictures from a gender-segregated event in which boys were seen wearing shirts and ties at a 'summit'
The girls, meanwhile, were shown wearing matching t-shirts in the gym at their 'retreat'
The school gave the boys' event the business-like 'summit' title meant to 'ignite' them, while the girls' event was given a softer 'retreat' name and was meant to teach them to 'shine'
At the 'IGNITE boys summit,' the boys, who were seen wearing ties and collard shirts, were largely pictured sitting at their desks while being addressed and interacting with men who were also wearing business-like attire.
The girls participating in the 'SHINE girls retreat,' meanwhile, were predominantly pictured wearing matching red t-shirts, sitting on the floor in the school gym, listening to local high school cheerleaders speak, and writing on signs.
According to The State, the caption accompanying the Facebook post was: 'Male role models from the community spoke with the boys about leadership and the importance of character. The Pickens Varsity cheer team spoke with the girls about how to work together to help everyone shine.'
A backlash erupted on social media with critics complaining about the differing experiences for boys and girls, as some accused officials of sexism.
At some point, the photo caption was then revised to read: 'Role models from the community and student athletes from Pickens High spoke with students about leadership and character.'
The school also revealed that the girls were treated to a lecture by high school cheerleaders
The girls were also shown sitting on the gym floor writing on signs during their 'retreat'
Two female police offers were also shown to be in attendance during the girls' 'retreat'
The boys at their 'summit,' however, were seen sitting at tables while being addressed by 'Male role models from the community'
The boys are seen here sitting at desks, wearing ties and collared shirts with notebooks out
Another look at the boys' 'summit,' in which 'male role models' were seen speaking with them
A Facebook user revealed the elementary school's original caption for the events' photos
After being raked over the coals, the school district changed the caption on the images
Removing the fact that the middle schoolers had been segregated by gender and reframing the female cheerleaders as 'student athletes' failed to mollify the critics, however.
'Replacing a sexist caption with a more gender-neutral one, unfortunately, will not magically erase the underlying conceptual fallacy and bias behind this event. You've got to do better by these kids next time,' one Facebook user wrote.
'You can edit the text as much as you want, but as long as you keep the photos, people are going to still know that you are operating in a sexist vacuum from yesteryear,' wrote another Facebook user, a father whose children were in the same school district.
The dad went on to point out the fact that the boys' event was called a leadership 'summit,' while the girls' event had been a 'retreat' about working together and shining.
'It is 2019, and as a public education system, you need to pay more attention to the public, and how the world has evolved,' he wrote. 'That includes enlightening yourselves on contemporary issues of gender, equity, diversity, and inclusion.'
Social media users expressed their disappointment at the school's decision to set up the events the way they did
The school district has now apologized for the 'format' of the gender-divided character development event.
A spokesperson for the Pickens County school district told The State that the events were meant to empower students.
'We will reflect on the concerns that members of our community have expressed about the format of this event to ensure that future events at all schools send a message of inclusion and equality,' the spokesperson said in a statement to the newspaper.
The spokesperson added that the school district takes 'these concerns seriously.'
'It was not the school or district’s intent to send a message that students must display different character traits or pursue different career goals based on their gender, but it is clear that this is the message that was sent as a result of some of the differences in the programs, and we apologize,' the statement concluded.
Regarding the sartorial difference between the boys and girls, the spokesperson said the Pickens Elementary School had picked what the boys would wear, while the girls were given a survey which showed that the majority wanted to dress casually.
Social media users who supported the school's decisions pointed out that in addition to the high school cheerleaders, the elementary school girls also hosted two female police officers and an English teacher with a PhD.
South Carolina elementary school apologize over gender-segregated boys 'summit' and girls 'retreat' | Daily Mail Online
I honestly didn't see a problem with the event. The school district didn't owe these mfs any apology. People find the stupidest shyt to be mad about nowadays, like wtf 
