Oh to apply to high schools in the Big Apple! The Brearley School, a tony all-girls prep school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, has instituted a new requirement in its admissions process. No, it’s not a new test. It’s not a new interview. Students will not have to sing, play the banjo, or juggle spoons. This particular requirement is for the parents of applicants to The Brearley School. Hey, any school that begins with “The” is probably trying too hard to sound prestigious so is it any wonder that the school would require parents to write a 500-word essay if their children hope to have a shot of earning admission? Sorry, The Wheatley School, The School for the Talented and Gifted, The Davidson Academy of Nevada, and others!

As Jon Levine reports for The New York Post in a piece entitled “Elite $60K-a-year NYC schools forcing woke indoctrination on parents, too,” “Prospective parents at The Brearley School, an all-girls school on the Upper East Side, are informed on their application that ‘parents are expected to attend two diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism (DEIA) workshops per school year,’ and write a 500-word essay demonstrating their fealty to those values. If their daughters are accepted, parents are then expected to sign a pledge vowing to support the new religion.”

Yes, that’s right. Parent of applicants to The Brearley School must write a 500-word essay to demonstrate their pledge to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. And, no, it can’t be a Bart Simpson-style “I vow to respect diversity. I vow to respect diversity. I vow to respect diversity.” It must be a thoughtful response if your child hopes to earn admission to the fancy shmancy school. To our readers on the right, we invite you to chime in with some funny, snarky remarks — though please do keep them civil. And, to our readers on the left, let us know what you think about this requirement as well. We look forward to hearing from all of you! We think.

While you’re here, read about some of the recent changes to the admissions requirements at New York City’s specialized high schools.