A Newton parent is accusing the district of masking deep inequities for Black students, writing that his son experiences what he calls "silent segregation" at his middle school.

Tony Clark, a Newton Public Schools parent and former educator, published a guest essay in the Newton Beacon on Monday, Sept. 28. Clark alleged that adults at his son's school sometimes hold lower expectations for him than for his white peers. He wrote that he has had to push the school more than once to challenge his son academically.

Clark singled out math placement. He alleged that some students get steered away from advanced math without their parents' knowledge, and that the sorting shapes a child's trajectory. "No parent should have to fight for their child to be challenged," Clark wrote. "Many parents have had to, and I've been one of them."

The essay lands as Newton Public Schools prepares to roll out Math Pathways, an accelerated middle school math program set for full implementation in fall 2028. NPS Director of Mathematics Jennifer Shore told The Newtonite in June that the program would create flexible entry and exit points based on student readiness.

Clark, who began his career as a teacher in the South Bronx and East Harlem, drew a generational parallel. His mother enrolled him in a school in Cambridge, miles from their home in Roxbury. He called that experience an illusion and wrote that he sees the same pattern in Newton.

He also criticized how the district treats students in the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) program, alleging that suburban schools expect METCO students to be grateful rather than supported. Newton runs the state's largest METCO program, with more than 431 students across all 22 schools, according to Newton Beacon reporting on 2026-2027 enrollment.

Clark's critique arrives amid cuts to the district's equity staffing. Newton Public Schools approved a fiscal year 2027 budget in April that reduced its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion director from full-time to part-time. The DEI office, created in 2020, once employed three people.

The Hechinger Report reported the reduction in May. Newton parent Rielle Montague told the outlet that month that the cut sent a message. "It's a big statement to say, 'You know what, it's not even that important to have a full-time person for this large school district,'" Montague said.

The gap is not new. A 1986 report to the Newton School Committee found that Black students scored significantly lower than white students on standardized tests at every grade level, according to a Fig City News history of Newton schools published in August. A 1990 follow-up found some enrollment gains in honors classes but a widening achievement gap in grades 4 through 8.

The district's 2025-2026 annual report showed 85% of NPS staff identify as White. The share of Black staff rose from 4% to 6% between 2021 and 2025.

Superintendent Anna Nolin has not publicly responded to Clark's essay. No district statement appeared in available public records as of publication.

Ward 4 School Committee member Tamika Olszewski warned at a March 30 budget meeting that repeated cuts would hollow out the district. "If we're doing $3 million of cuts year over year, we are not going to be able to get to a place where we can thrive," Olszewski said, according to the Newton Beacon's budget coverage.

Clark's full essay is available on the Newton Beacon's website.