Florida school singles out Black pupils as ‘problem’

A Florida elementary school has prompted outrage for singling out its Black students to attend a special assembly identifying them, as a group, as a “problem” because of standardized test performances.

Black fourth- and fifth-grade students at Bunnell elementary school in Flagler county, central Florida, were pulled from class last Friday and mandated to attend the presentation on improving test scores, the Washington Post reported.

Students were chosen to attend the presentation based on race, Jason Wheeler, the communications coordinator for Flagler school district, confirmed to the Guardian.

The nine- and 10-year-old students were shown a powerpoint entitled “AA presentation”, referring to African American, according to a copy of the presentation shared with the Guardian.

A slide labeled “The Problem” claimed that “AA”, referring to Black students, have underperformed on standardized tests for the past three years.

A subsequent slide added that students will be placed in a competition with each other to improve their test scores and could receive a meal from McDonald’s as a prize, according to the presentation.

Several parents were outraged about the assembly and noted how their children were segregated for the presentation, even if they had passed their tests.

“They segregated our kids, [in] 2023,” Jacinda Arrington, a parent, told WFTV 9, the local ABC affiliate based in Orlando.

“To me, it told my child that she’s not good enough. The color of your skin means that you’re not good enough when, in fact, she’s one of the smartest kids in her class,” Arrington said to Fox 35 Orlando.

“This was solely based off of color,” Nichole Consolazio, the parent of a fifth-grade student, said to Daytona News Journal.

Parents also said their children were reportedly told that if they did not do well in school they would end up dead or in jail.

Wheeler told the Guardian he could not confirm what was specifically said to students, but confirmed that the presentation was only given to Black students.

Wheeler added that the assembly was currently under investigation by the school district.

Flagler’s interim superintendent, LaShakia Moore, who is Black, expressed regret at a press conference two days ago.

“This should not have happened, but it did,” Moore said, offering an apology to students, their families and the community.

“We make no excuses,” Moore added.

Some families have discussed transferring students out of Bunnell, Moore said during a press conference on the incident.

Moore announced a community forum on Tuesday about the incident.

Donelle Evensen, the school’s principal, sent out an apology to parents earlier in the week, for not sharing plans of the assembly ahead of time, WFTV 9 reported.

“I want to assure you, there was no malice intended in planning this assembly,” Evensen wrote in the letter obtained by WFTV9.

“However, we failed to inform you, our parents and guardians of these plans. We realize we went against our long-held belief that this must be a team effort, with you being a key member of that team.”

Evensen had been placed on paid administrative leave, Moore confirmed at a press conference.

Evensen could not be reached by the Guardian for comment.

This latest issue comes as Florida has rejected the teaching of Black history in schools, and other topics deemed “indoctrination” by Florida’s rightwing governor and 2024 candidate for the Republican nomination for president, Ron DeSantis.

Last month, the state’s board of education approved a slew of new standards for how public schools can teach Black history.

One standard mandates that students will be taught that some Black people gained “personal benefit” from slavery – as it taught them useful skills.

Such standards have been criticized by Florida educators and the vice-president, Kamala Harris.

DeSantis also rejected a new advance placement course for African American studies in January.

The governor said the course violated state law and “lacks educational value”.