BUNNELL, Fla. – The fallout is still settling after an assembly last month at Bunnell Elementary School that allegedly singled out Black students, according to Flagler County School Board chair Cheryl Massaro.
In a statement to News 6 on Thursday, Massaro said that although an internal investigation had been completed — during which the school’s principal, Donelle Evensen, and a teacher, Anthony Hines, were placed on leave — she added, “some new information was discovered and the case was reopened.”
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
The assembly drew ire from students, parents and school staff who accused the school of crossing a line and isolating low-scoring Black students in the fourth and fifth grades to criticize their academic performance in bulk.
News 6 has since confirmed the students were shown a presentation with a slide titled “The Problem,” which stated in part, “AA have underperform on standardized assessment for the last past 3 years (sic).”
After asking district officials what the text “AA” meant in the slide, Massaro told us that it was an acronym for “African American.”
[STORY CONTINUES BELOW]
Flagler County Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore said during a news conference Aug. 24 that some parents had even requested their children be transferred to other schools. She and others within the district appeared deeply apologetic over the assembly, coming forward several times in messaging to parents and public statements to say it should have never happened.
“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 at the Aug. 24 news conference. “As the superintendent of Flagler Schools, I apologize for any disruption to our progress this has caused and I ask for your support as a greater community moving forward.”
In an earlier statement, Moore wrote that she had spoken with the school’s principal and promised to continue working with her toward finding “more appropriate ways” to raise achievement on campus.
“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,” the statement reads.
The school board is working directly with the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Professional Practice Services and hopes for a final resolution on the matter by Wednesday, Massaro said.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: