Twelve days before opening, Nebraska just hit pause on what would be the state’s first Black-founded, state-approved school. The Nebraska State Board of Education delayed its vote on Identity Preparatory Academy, a new all-girls middle school in North Omaha — after board member Kirk Penner raised objections to its “abolitionist” framework, claiming it violates Rule 14, the state’s private school statute. Other board members pushed back hard. They argue schools set their own curricula — the board’s job is standards, not ideology. Board member Deborah Neary didn’t mince words: “We as a board are saying we are going to put different criteria on this school catering to African American children than we put on any other school we have ever approved. That doesn’t sound legal. It sounds disrespectful. It sounds racist, and I can’t believe we’re even considering this.” The vote is now set for a virtual meeting — with the school’s opening hanging in the balance.
