ST. LOUIS – Gateway Science Academy third grader Edmund Lee is learning about desegregation the hard way after he was banned from his own school because he’s black.

Lee, a high achieving black student at the St. Louis charter school, is moving to St. Louis County this year and wants to continue his education at Gateway Science Academy, but decades old state laws meant to desegregate schools eliminate that possibility because of his race, Fox 2 reports.

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“State law allows some county residents the opportunity to attend a city charter school, but they must live in a district participating in transfer programs, and can not be an African-American,” according to the news site.

“When I read the guidelines I was in shock,” said Lee’s mother, La’Shieka White. “I was crying.”

“I feel sad,” Lee added. “I think it’s kind of cool to try to keep me in school.”

“If our neighbor had the same age kid, they could come to this school if they were any other race besides African American,” White said, “and it just doesn’t sit well with me.

“We teach our son about equality and that’s not teaching our kids anything because it’s based off race.”

White also pointed out that the state desegregation laws also restrict where white students can attend school, and believes the system needs to change.

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“I don’t want it to be just about an African-American boy,” she said. “I want it to be about all children.”

White’s frustration with the situation prompted her to launch a Change.org petition to bring attention to the issue, The Grio reports.

“These guidelines were put in place by the state and is unfair for my child who has been going to the school since kindergarten and has been excelling,” White wrote in the petition. “Not admitting Edmund simply because he is African American is just wrong. My son loves his school, friends, and teachers. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education should not deny my son admission based on his race.”

The letter, addressed to Missouri State Officials, has garnered 17,681 signatures over the last week, momentum that led to the Fox 2 report.

The petition includes a picture of a grinning Lee with several certificates, awards and honors for his work at Gateway Science Academy.

Several of the folks who signed White’s petition work for the school.

“If this helps us start a conversation about maybe some things that could be different with the law, then I see that as a good thing,” assistant principal Janet Moak told the news site.

“To not see his face in the halls next year would be extremely sad,” said Tiffany Luis, Lee’s third-grade teacher. “The family is saying they want to stay. I don’t understand why they can’t.”