The principal of a high school in Texas, the United States, James Whitfield has been relieved of his job by the board of the school after being accused for pushing critical race theory.
Whitfield, a doctorate degree holder and first black principal of Colleyville Heritage High School Principal was asked to leave according to Texas Tribune on Tuesday.
A newly elected board member of the school, Tammy Nakamura, disclosed this in a video posted on Facebook during a Republican National Committee-sponsored school board panel in June that Whitfield was placed on paid leave.
Nakamura said the school board accused him of anti-racist activism last month.
On July 26, at a Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District (GCISD) school board meeting, Stetson Clark, a former school board candidate, accused Whitfield on several cases of teaching critical race theory.
“He is encouraging the disruption and destruction of our district,” Clark told the crowd.
Following Clark’s accusation, according to Texas Tribune, someone from the audience shouted, “How about you fire him?”
The report said Whitfield’s problem began when he wrote a letter to the school community following George Floyd’s death declaring that universal discrimination is “alive and well” and that as a community, they needed to achieve “conciliation for our nation.”
“Education is the key to stomping out ignorance, hate and systemic racism. It’s a necessary conduit to get ‘liberty and justice for all,’” Whitfield wrote.
Then, Whitfield recalled the reviews being all positive and leaving him with a sense of agreement in the community. But almost two years later, his letter would paint him a disruptor in the district.
During the board meeting, Whitfield defended himself and spoke before board members and parents asking for answers as to why the board decided his fate behind closed doors.
The 43-year-old said he felt his peers’ attitudes had changed toward him after being accused of teaching disruptive concepts.
A former South Albany High School principal is suing Greater Albany Public Schools, claiming the district racially discriminated against him and created a hostile work environment.
Nain “Nate” Munoz filed the suit last month in U.S. District Court in Eugene, The Albany Democrat-Herald reported Monday. Munoz was interim principal and then principal of South Albany from July 2018 to June 2020.
The case is linked to two separate complaints Munoz filed with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries last year accusing the district of employment discrimination and retaliation.
The state agency co-filed the complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. Both issued Munoz a “right to sue” letter earlier this year in connection with both complaints.
Munoz is identified in the lawsuit as being of Mexican American descent. He contends the district discriminated and retaliated against him based on his race and national origin and for engaging in whistleblowing.
Barrett Mersereau, who is representing Greater Albany Public Schools, told the newspaper last week he could not discuss the case.
Munoz’s attorney, Dan Snyder, also declined to comment.
“While the District cannot comment on pending litigation, GAPS is dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all students and employees,” District Superintendent Melissa Goff said in an email.
In the lawsuit Munoz alleges numerous instances in which he said he either did not receive requested support from the school district, was held to a higher or different standard than other staffers or was reprimanded for matters outside his knowledge or control. He claims he was terminated because he filed complaints about the issues.
Source: Insurance Journal
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In the lawsuit Munoz alleges numerous instances in which he said he either did not receive requested support from the school district, was held to a higher or different standard than other staffers or was reprimanded for matters outside his knowledge or control. He claims he was terminated because he filed complaints about the issues.
A central Minnesota school district is doing some soul-searching this spring after reports that students of color have been targets of racist bullying.
A parent who says her child was subjected to hateful social media messages aired her frustration in a video that’s been viewed thousands of times on social media. It’s led to calls for a change of culture in the district — and in the wider community.
Andrea Robinson said she’s grown accustomed to dealing with biased and even outright racist behavior toward her Black children in the Rocori public schools.
Robinson said they’ve been called a racial epithet by other students, and have been singled out unfairly for discipline when they lashed out in response.
Then last fall, Robinson learned that her 15-year-old daughter was the subject of bullying on social media. The disturbing messages in a Snapchat group that she said was created about her daughter mention getting ropes and hanging Black men from trees.
Even worse, she said, is that one of the teens who posted the racist messages was later chosen to receive a Rocori Proud award, which recognizes students whose actions reflect the district’s values.
Robinson recorded an emotional video voicing her frustrations and posted it to Facebook.
“I’ve always told my kids to take the high road,” she said in the video. “Kids, I’m sorry. Essentially what I’ve done is silenced you. So today, I’m stepping out against this. I’m not going to be silenced.”
Robinson’s video revived a heated and sometimes painful conversation about race in this rural district of roughly 2,000 students, who come from the Stearns County towns of Rockville, Cold Spring and Richmond. It has raised questions about the role schools should play in providing a safe and welcoming atmosphere for all students, in school and online.
Read the complete article at: MPR News
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school district
After a Zoom call with a student and his mother, a California teacher who thought the call had ended was recorded saying her student has learned to lie and make excuses, calling the parents “pieces of sh*t” and saying “this is what Black people do,” according to the mother’s attorneys.
Now, the mother from the parent-teacher call, Katura Stokes, has sent a pre-suit claim — a precursor to a lawsuit — to the school district for monetary compensation for emotional distress, defamation, negligence and discrimination, according to Stokes’ attorneys and a copy of the claim provided to CNN.
Stokes’ sixth grader had struggled since his school transitioned to online learning last year at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, her attorneys say.
Stokes reached out to school officials at Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Magnet Academy in Palmdale, California, — 37 miles north of Los Angeles — to get some help, according to a news release from Taylor & Ring, the law firm representing Stokes.
The teacher scheduled a Zoom call for January 20 with Stokes and her son, who is not named, and worked through recent assignments with him, according to the pre-trial claim. By the end of the call, the teacher assured him that he was caught up, the claim says.
“Given her son’s struggles Ms. Stokes was very pleased to hear this,” the claim says.
close dialog
After the video conference, the teacher didn’t end the Zoom call and made comments to someone else in the video, which caught Stokes’ attention, the news release says. It prompted Stokes to record what she and her son heard for almost 30 minutes, it says, because she couldn’t believe what she was hearing and thought no one would believe her otherwise.
“This is heinous,” David Garcia, spokesperson for the Palmdale School District, told CNN. “This a hideous event and the Palmdale School District will not stomach any racial behavior, whether it’s caught on tape or not.”
Read the complete article at: CNN
Also Read: Mom Accuses Teacher of Half-Hour Racist Rant Against Son After Forgetting to Log Off Zoom
Multiple departments in Gardner have launched a criminal investigation after emails containing “images, videos and messages of hate, violence and racism” were sent to children and families in the school district.
The Gardner Police Department reports that the city’s dispatch center began receiving calls at approximately 12:35 a.m. Saturday regarding an email that was sent to Gardner Public Schools students and families
According to police, the email was sent to more than 5,000 people and contained threats against a school along with racial phrases.
Police say a second email was sent at approximately 1 a.m. to the same people. This email contained a date — Sunday, Jan. 24 — when the threats against the school were going to be carried out, along with extremely graphic images that appeared to be taken from the internet.
Read the complete article at: WCVB
Multiple departments in Gardner have launched a criminal investigation after emails containing “images, videos and messages of hate, violence and racism” were sent to children and families in the school district. The Gardner Police Department reports that the city’s dispatch center began receiving calls at approximately 12:35 a.m. Saturday regarding an email that was sent to Gardner Public Schools students and families According to police, the email was sent to more than 5,000 people and contained threats against a school along with racial phrases. Police say a second email was sent at approximately 1 a.m. to the same people. This email contained a date — Sunday, Jan. 24 — when the threats against the school were going to be carried out, along with extremely graphic images that appeared to be taken from the internet. According to police, the email was sent to more than 5,000 people and contained threats against a school along with racial phrases. Police say a second email was sent at approximately 1 a.m. to the same people. This email contained a date — Sunday, Jan. 24 — when the threats against the school were going to be carried out, along with extremely graphic images that appeared to be taken from the internet. racist emails racist emails racist emails
Racist, Anti-Semitic Messages Interrupt Anti-Racism Lesson At San Francisco’s Lowell High School
An anti-racism lesson being presented to online to students from Lowell High School in San Francisco was interrupted by a series of racist and anti-Semitic slurs and pornographic images, according to the school district.
The San Francisco Unified School District said on Wednesday that students were using a virtual bulletin board known as Padlet to share their reflections on a series of anti-racism lessons when the racist and obscene messages appeared among the submissions. The Padlet session, which is moderated by staff members, appeared to have been hacked and the district said administrators immediately deactivated the Padlet.
The district’s Department of Technology is now trying to trace the origin of the offensive posts. A letter was sent to all students and families about the incident, inviting anyone with information to come forward.
Read the complete article at: San Francisco CBS Local
An anti-racism lesson being presented to online to students from Lowell High School in San Francisco was interrupted by a series of racist and anti-Semitic slurs and pornographic images, according to the school district. The San Francisco Unified School District said on Wednesday that students were using a virtual bulletin board known as Padlet to share their reflections on a series of anti-racism lessons when the racist and obscene messages appeared among the submissions. The Padlet session, which is moderated by staff members, appeared to have been hacked and the district said administrators immediately deactivated the Padlet. The district’s Department of Technology is now trying to trace the origin of the offensive posts. A letter was sent to all students and families about the incident, inviting anyone with information to come forward. The district’s Department of Technology is now trying to trace the origin of the offensive posts. A letter was sent to all students and families about the incident, inviting anyone with information to come forward.
MAN CLAIMS AGE DISCRIMINATION IN SUIT AGAINST SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Riddle School District is pushing back against a lawsuit that claims they didn’t hire a coach because of age discrimination.
Jack Ball filed a lawsuit in October against the district, saying he was 73 years old when he applied to be the coach of the girls’ varsity basketball team at Riddle High School. He claims he wasn’t chosen because of his age.
Ball said he was qualified for the position, having coached nearly 400 games since 1962.
He said the district told him he wasn’t hired because of complaints from students threatening to quit the team. The lawsuit claims this explanation is either false or because of Ball’s age.
The Riddle School District is pushing back against a lawsuit that claims they didn’t hire a coach because of age discrimination. Jack Ball filed a lawsuit in October against the district, saying he was 73 years old when he applied to be the coach of the girls’ varsity basketball team at Riddle High School. He claims he wasn’t chosen because of his age. Ball said he was qualified for the position, having coached nearly 400 games since 1962. He said the district told him he wasn’t hired because of complaints from students threatening to quit the team. The lawsuit claims this explanation is either false or because of Ball’s age. The Riddle School District is pushing back against a lawsuit that claims they didn’t hire a coach because of age discrimination. Jack Ball filed a lawsuit in October against the district, saying he was 73 years old when he applied to be the coach of the girls’ varsity basketball team at Riddle High School. He claims he wasn’t chosen because of his age. Ball said he was qualified for the position, having coached nearly 400 games since 1962. He said the district told him he wasn’t hired because of complaints from students threatening to quit the team. The lawsuit claims this explanation is either false or because of Ball’s age.