Amid a great deal of racial tension last year, one Atlanta elementary school allegedly segregated its students based on ethnicity at the behest of the principal, a black woman.
Kila Posey, whose daughter attended Mary Lin Elementary School, told WSB-TV that she met last year with Sharyn Briscoe, hoping to talk to the principal about whose classroom would be the best fit for her child.
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When Posey suggested a certain teacher to Briscoe, she was told it wouldn’t be an option to place her daughter in that classroom. Confused by the comment, the mother pressed Briscoe, who said black students were in two separate classes with two separate teachers while white students were in six other classes with six different teachers.
Posey, who reportedly serves as vice president of operations for the local parent-teacher association, was dumbfounded by the revelation.
Atlanta mother files federal complaint after learning that students in her child’s school are being segregated by racial categorization by the principal.https://t.co/qKTFmxRzis
— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) August 10, 2021
“She said, ‘That’s not one of the black classes,’ and I immediately said, ‘What does that mean?’” Posey recalled of her conversation with Briscoe. “I was confused. I asked for more clarification. I was like, ‘We have those in the school?’ And she proceeded to say that, ‘Yes, I have decided that I’m going to place all of the black students in two classes.’”
“First, it was just disbelief that I was having this conversation in 2020, with a person that looks just like me, a black woman,” she continued. “It’s segregating classrooms. You cannot segregate classrooms.”
Posey went on to tell the local news outlet she has “lost sleep” over “trying to figure out why” anyone would support segregated classrooms.
The mother insisted, nevertheless, that her daughter be placed in a class with white students. In response, the principal warned such a placement would leave her young daughter feeling isolated.
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“I explained to her she shouldn’t be isolated or punished because I’m unwilling to go along with your illegal and unethical practice,” said Posey, later adding that, had her community been made aware of what was going on, parents of all ethnicities — black and white — would have been “extremely upset” by Briscoe’s decision.
According to the WSB-TV report, the school’s administrator confirmed the segregation was Briscoe’s move and seemingly tried to explain away the policy. The administrator told the Poseys, “I just wish we had more black kids, and then some of them are in a class because of the services that they need.”
Posey soon thereafter filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, claiming the segregation policy violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In a statement, the district said, “Atlanta Public Schools does not condone the assigning of students to classrooms based on race. The district conducted a review of the allegations. Appropriate actions were taken to address the issue and the matter was closed.”
The Poseys are awaiting the results of the investigation by the U.S. Department of Education.
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