Well, this is uncomfortable… It turns out that the Black Philadelphia girl that President Trump announced at his recent State of the Union address would be getting a scholarship to be able to attend the charter school of her choice is already a student at the school.
Janiyah Davis was one of a handful of people of color asked to stand during the president’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday.
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Trump, entering a re-election campaign that some experts predict will largely hinge on Black voters, characterized the fourth-grader as one of many youngsters reportedly trapped in failing public schools.
in actuality, Davis already is attending a charter school and it’s one that is well- known and highly sought, the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting. In September, Janiyah transferred to Math, Science and Technology Community Charter School III, also known as MaST III. It is funded by taxpayers and, so, there is no tuition.
Janiyah’s mom, Stephanie Davis, told the news organization that there was a lot of confusion around her daughter’s invitation to the president’s annual speech at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. A few weeks ago, she got a telephone call from the principal at her daughter’s former school, Olney Christian School, saying Janiyah may be up for a scholarship. Then, Davis told the Inquirer, she received a call from a man who repeated the scholarship possibility and advised Davis to expect a call from the White House.
“I thought it was a scam,” Davis said, adding that she didn’t believe it until she received an official email from the administration.
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Even then, the teacher’s assistant and mom said, she had no idea she and her daughter would be asked to stand during the speech.
“I never knew it was going to be this big,” Davis told the Inquirer.
Janiyah’s previous school cost $5,200 a year, which Davis was struggling to pay, she said.
Davis said she was “surprised” and “honored” about being asked to stand during the 90-minute speech. She said she also was surprised about the scholarship.
Angela Morabito, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education, told the Inquirer that Janiyah was picked for a scholarship because “Education freedom is about going to the best school for your child. Even the ‘best’ school, as ranked by statistics and averages, isn’t the best fit for every child.”