Duluth Parents Claim Black students Were Assaulted By White Classmates
A group of Georgia parents is fighting back after their children allegedly endured racist attacks at school.
According to NBC News, Kali Proctor, Katelyn Hansen, Roynetter Birgans and Desmond Gilbert are suing Duluth Edison Charter Schools.
Rebekah Bailey, the attorney representing the parents, told NBC News, “There’s been a lot of frustrated families in the Duluth Edison community. The families in this case, all they really ever wanted is for their children to be treated fairly at school. They fought long and hard to remedy their individual situations as best they could through the system. This case was only filed when they exhausted those opportunities.”
The suit, which was filed April 2019, claims the Black students dealt with racial slurs, physical attacks and one teacher allegedly cut off a student’s dreadlock and threw it in the trash. The incidents reportedly took place at Raleigh and North Star Academy campuses.
There was also an allegation in the lawsuit that in 2017 a white student at North Star Academy threatened to stab a Black kindergartner in the eye with a screwdriver because she looked “different,” the lawsuit said. The suit states a white student punched the child so hard that she had a bruise on her rib.
In a statement to NBC News, Tammy Rackliffe, a spokesperson for DECS, said: “There is nothing more important to Duluth Edison Charter Schools than the well-being of the students we educate every day. Duluth Edison Charter Schools has welcomed a diverse community of learners for nearly 25 years. Throughout that time, we have remained committed to creating a respectful, inclusive and safe learning environment for students, staff and our families. The core values that shape our school community include respect, compassion, justice, and integrity. We take seriously any concerns from students, parents and our community that do not reflect those values.”
NBC News reports Rackliffe declined to comment on the specific claims.
