VERONA — It was the second time in three months that community members came before the Augusta County School Board asking that something be done about racism in the school division.
At the May 2 regularly scheduled meeting, Leigh Ashely Harden detailed to the board acts of racism directed at her 8-year-old son, an elementary school student in Augusta County.
Harden said in first grade her son was told by a classmate that his skin looked like tree bark. This year a classmate told Harden’s son they couldn’t play together because he did’t have blond hair and blue eyes. And the most recent incident, Harden said a classmate used a racial slur when referring to her son.
“None of these three incidents were communicated to me by my son’s teacher,” Harden said. “I learned about them from my son.”
Harden said when she approached school administration about this, she was told it was kids being mean.
“This isn’t just kids being mean,” she said. “This isn’t just bullying. It’s racism.”
Five people followed Harden, addressing the board about racism in the school division.
In March, Felicia Calloway was one of four people who spoke during delegations about the issue. Calloway told the board that, in the April 2023, she was taking some food to her children at Wilson Memorial High School when two students harassed her as she walked into the school. They were the same kids who Calloway said had racially harassed her son with no repercussions. Calloway told the board that she, meanwhile, was escorted out of the school because she said something back to the students.
“It’s sad that I couldn’t even embrace love for my kids that day like I had wanted to in an environment that is supposed to be safe and and encouraging for all,” Calloway said. “But are Augusta County Schools really safe for all? Or is it safe for just one specific culture?”
Back in January, a student at Beverley Manor Middle School was identified as sending out threats on social media. The student’s mother, Melissa Turner, told The News Leader that her son admitted to doing that, but it was in response an incident of racial bullying by another student. Turner said her son made the account hoping administration would think the other student made it and suspend him.
Turner addressed the board at its May meeting.
While the school division hasn’t talked about any of these issues in a public meeting or addressed the concerns publicly, Chair David Shiflett did tell The News Leader recently that the school board isn’t ignoring the concerns.
“We have told staff to check into this,” Shiflett said. “I don’t know if it’s something that we will necessarily be discussing, but we have asked staff to check it out and report back to us.”
Shiflett said that while the board was aware of most of the things they heard during public comment, some of the stories have changed over time.
“There’s always more than one side to a story,” he said. “I’m not saying that in any way detracts from what they said.”
Harden told the board that she was also the target of racism when she attended Augusta County Schools, but she never shared that with anyone at the time.
“I internalized and am now just realizing that I never fully understood those feelings and how to handle them at such a young age,” Harden said. “I too was afraid to speak up because I felt outnumbered. I felt that there were more kids who would side with the kids hurling the racist remarks than with me.”
She said it’s still happening 20 years later, asking the board to take meaningful action to address racism.
The News Leader reached out to Harden, asking her what she would like to see the board do to address the problems she described.
“I am not an expert in that area but I have done research and I do have ideas,” Harden said. “Provide anti-racism training for staff. Organize town hall meetings to give a voice to the voiceless. Revise disciplinary policies to address racism more effectively. Create educational programs to mitigate racism and biases in the schools.”
Sharon Fitz, a co-founder of Waynesboro’s RISE, also spoke at the May meeting of the Augusta County School Board. After the meeting, she told The News Leader that the school division needs to start by acknowledging the existence and problem of racism in our schools and then be willing to work with others who are truly equipped to facilitate the difficult conversations that must be had.
She wants to see the school division work through policies and practices that will aid in restoration approaches to disciplinary matters rather than what she called knee-jerk punitive actions.
Said Fitz, “Racism is a disruption to the learning experience and the emotional/social development of young people with heart, souls and minds filled with possibilities and dreams that are being snuffed out by the failure of the people who are charged with their care and with the ability to see them as valuable human beings.”
More: Shots fired in Stuarts Draft as suspect faces numerous charges
More: Candidate for U.S. Senate in Virginia responds to super PAC allegations, misuse of funds
— Patrick Hite is The News Leader’s education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Racism still prevalent in Augusta County Schools, say parents
