FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – An assembly at Bunnell Elementary School last week has sparked an investigation by the county over what happened, according to a release from the school district on Tuesday.
The release shows that the assembly included 4th and 5th-grade students, and Flagler County School Board Chair Cheryl Massaro told News 6 that it was held for “African American students that scored below a three on testing.”
According to Massaro, the assembly was aimed at motivating students to work harder in school, though she said she wasn’t sure what might have been said during the assembly.
When asked whether the assembly only included African American students, Jason Wheeler, the district’s communications coordinator, said, “That is my understanding.”
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore said in a statement that she sat down with the school’s principal, Donelle Evensen, to discuss the assembly.
I’ve had the opportunity to sit down with Bunnell Elementary Principal Donelle Evensen following an assembly of 4th and 5th-grade students. We have been able to talk about what led to this assembly and steps that were or were not taken before or after it.
In speaking with Mrs. Evensen, it is clear there was no malice intended in planning this student outreach. However, sometimes, when you try to think “outside the box,” you forget why the box is there.
While the desire to help this particular subgroup of students is to be commended, how this was done does not meet the expectations we desire among Flagler Schools. We want our parents and guardians to actively participate in their children's educational successes. Without informing them of this assembly or of the plans to raise these scores, our parents were not properly engaged.
I will continue working with Mrs. Evensen and her team to find more appropriate ways to affect change on their campus, even as we continue to investigate this particular issue. I’m also asking anyone in our community who may have questions, please contact Mrs. Evensen at Bunnell Elementary or myself.
That said, from this point forward, all of our schools will engage our parents, no matter what group or subgroup their children may be in, in our continued efforts to raise achievement among all students.
Statement by Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore
Despite the lack of malice, Moore apologized in a video statement on Wednesday, saying that it was “executed in a way that does not align with the views of Flagler schools.”
“Students should never be separated by race. We acknowledge that this and other subgroups of students must improve, but our commitment is improved academic achievement for all students,” Moore said.
District officials confirmed that Evenson is not facing any disciplinary action at this time.
Massaro said that the assembly shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
“It’s awful,” Massaro said. “It shouldn’t happen. It should not have happened. Flagler schools does not support, you know, segregation.”
Massaro said there are other ways the school could have addressed the issue, such as bringing in all students with lower test scores.
“Bring them all in, bring them all in,” Massaro said. “That’s all that matters bring them all and talk to all of them. Give them all the same supports. Don’t isolate it to one subgroup, and that’s when the line got crossed.”
Regarding Massaro’s claims, News 6 has not yet received confirmation about whether the students were called to the assembly on the basis of their race or whether the low-scoring group of students all just happened to be of the same race.
The district also provided News 6 with a PowerPoint presentation used in the assembly, which includes a slide titled, “The Problem.” That slide lists the following statements:
- “AA have underperform (sic) on standardized assessment for the last past 3 years.”
- “We only have 32% of our students who are at a Level 3 or higher for ELA/Math.”
- “We are supposed to have at least 41%.”
News 6 reached out to district officials to ask what “AA” stands for, though no explanation has yet been provided.
The presentation also includes solutions, including steps like having students work harder to perform better academically.
A “F.A.S.T. Challenge” was also mentioned, which states that students will compete in ELA and math subjects to win a meal from McDonald’s.
No additional information has been provided at this time, including what content in the assembly might have sparked the investigation.
The full PowerPoint presentation used in the assembly can be viewed in the media player below.
AA Presentation.pptx 2 by Anthony Talcott on Scribd
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: