The high school caught hosting secret 'no whites' classes... and it's quietly happening everywhere
A public high school in Minneapolis is at the center of a storm after revelations that it runs classes listed as open only to black students — a move critics say brings racial segregation back into American education.
The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that South High School, which serves more than 1,200 students, offers two courses on 'black culture' that are described as being for black students only.
The explosive detail was uncovered in a 66-page course guide, obtained through a public records request by the conservative watchdog group Defending Education.
The document, used to help families choose classes, appears to fly in the face of both federal law and America's decades-long fight for racial equality.
Critics call it shocking and illegal.
'It is appalling that in 2025, school districts think it is socially and legally acceptable to allegedly offer classes only to students based on immutable characteristics,' said Rhyen Staley, director of research at Defending Education.
'This practice only seeds distrust and resentment and must stop wherever it is happening.'
The courses, one for boys and one for girls, are part of a program run by the district's Office of Black Student Achievement.
South High School is only blocks from where George Floyd was killed in 2020 and has seen many protests in its wake
The district's leadership is dominated by black educators, including Principal Ahmed Aden Amin and Superintendent Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams
The office says it was set up in 2014 to help close racial gaps that leave black students 'near the bottom on nearly all performance indicators' and to help them in 'more aggressive and effective ways.'
The district says the goal is to 'celebrate, embrace, and develop cultural identity.' But even many who sympathize with those goals say this approach crosses a line.
Segregating classes by race, even with good intentions, appears to violate federal civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans racial discrimination in any program that receives federal funds.
It also contradicts the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed racial segregation in US schools.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, a Minneapolis Public Schools spokesman did not deny the document's authenticity.
Instead, she insisted the district was 'committed to providing a safe and welcoming learning environment for all of our students.'
'Our values include prioritizing a student's sense of belonging, safety, wellness, and respect at school,' she said.
'All students are welcome to request any class that they are interested in, provided they meet any applicable academic prerequisites.'
The Minnesota Department of Education and the state Inspector General did not respond to requests for comment.
The revelations strike at the heart of a fierce national debate about how far schools should go in addressing America's history.
That debate exploded after the death of George Floyd — just a few blocks from South High — in May 2020.
The school's 1,261 students are about 75 percent minority and mostly from low-income families.
The school course guide, obtained through a public record request, shows two courses listed as being open to black students
Since then, many school districts have added new ethnic studies and social justice programs.
School systems from Oakland to Seattle have introduced 'affinity classes' or mentorship groups for black and Latino students — which advocates say motivates kids who often lack a voice.
But critics say those efforts are now sliding into overt racial separation.
'These ethnic studies courses validate a real concern that K-12 schools are being used to push far-left ideologies, socialism and social justice activism in place of actually teaching students to master reading and math,' said Staley.
'It is despicable that schools are engaged in teaching students to view Western culture as inherently racist and exploitative.'
South High School, known simply as 'South,' has long been a flashpoint for racial tension.
Located in the extreme progressive 5th Congressional District represented by Democrat Ilhan Omar, the school's 1,261 students are about 75 percent minority and mostly from low-income families.
Students' reading and math scores are low.
The district's leadership is dominated by black educators, including Principal Ahmed Aden Amin and Superintendent Dr Lisa Sayles-Adams.
Despite those efforts, racial conflict has persisted for years. In 2013, the school made headlines after a mass brawl involving around 250 students erupted between native-born African American and Somali immigrant teens.
Teachers and staff say violence has continued ever since. Internal emails from late 2023 showed a pattern of fear and frustration among educators.
South High School is just a short drive from the Annunciation Catholic School, where a gunman killed two children in August
The school is in the progressive 5th Congressional District represented by Democrat Ilhan Omar
Staff complained of 'terrifying' incidents and 'unaddressed safety concerns,' with teachers reporting assaults on colleagues and chaos in the halls.
The school sits just a short drive from the site of Floyd's death, as well as the Annunciation Catholic School, where a gunman killed two children in August — tragedies that have left deep scars across south Minneapolis.
Watchdogs say the new revelations add to growing concerns about a radical shift in Minneapolis's public education system, which they claim has embraced political activism at the expense of academics.
In addition to the black-only courses, the watchdog group says other materials show that the district's schools teach critical race theory, colonialism, intersectionality, social justice activism and white supremacy as core themes.
Among the recommended texts are works by progressive authors Ibram X. Kendi and Howard Zinn — figures long criticized by conservatives for promoting anti-American ideas.
For some parents and activists, the controversy at South High symbolizes how far America's education culture wars have gone.
What began as an effort to teach racial awareness, they argue, has turned into the reintroduction of the very segregation the country fought to abolish 70 years ago.
The Brown v. Board decision in 1954 promised that 'separate but equal' had no place in public education.
Yet critics say that's exactly what's happening again — under a progressive mask.
So far, neither the district nor the state Department of Education has announced any formal review.
For parents at South High, the situation has left confusion and anger. Some see the classes as a well-meaning attempt to uplift black students.
Others fear it's dividing children by race in a city already struggling to heal from years of trauma and unrest.
What's clear is that Minneapolis — still haunted by the events of 2020 — now faces a fresh battle over race, rights and what equality really means in America's classrooms.
