US: Elementary school singles out Black students to join assembly for THIS reason

An elementary school in Flager County in the US state of Florida has come under scanner after reports stated that the school singled out Black students and forced them to attend an assemblyabout improving their scores on standardised tests, according to a Fox report.

The report states that the students in the fourth and fifth grades were taken out of the class and paraded in theBunnell Elementary School cafeteria. While high-performing kids were brought to the front and modelled, the other students were offered gift cards to restaurants as rewards for improving their scores.

Flagler County Schools board chair Cheryl Massaro said the assembly should not have happened, but admits, "it did".

Darryl Williams, the parent of a 10-year-old fifth grader said when his son told him about the incident, it made his 'blood boil'.

Thinking 'outside-the-box' backfires

After the controversy snowballed, Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore held a meeting with Bunnell Elementary Principal Donelle Evensen and discussed the events.

"In speaking with MrsEvensen, 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," Moore said.

Moore said the district wanted parents and guardians to actively participate in the educational journey of their wards. However, she conceded that the parents were not properly engaged in the instance.

"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," said Moore.

She said going forward, all schools in the district will engage the parents, no matter what group or subgroup the children may be in.

"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," the statement read.

(With inputs from agencies)

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