NAACP takes complaint to Lee County school superintendent

The Lee County NAACP held a meeting Wednesday afternoon with the Lee County School District Superintendent to discuss a complaint.

The complaint filed on Sept. 15 against the Lee County School District stated minority students are more likely to be disciplined for the same actions carried out by non-minority students.

MORE: NAACP files complaint against Lee County School District

The NAACP claims students of color are more likely to be suspended, expelled or referred to law enforcement for misbehavior in school.

“It affects families in many different ways. Most importantly it prevents a child from being able to develop in the way that they should and it doesn’t necessarily provide them a developmentally appropriate outcome if they’re being suspended from school,” said Ricky Watson, attorney at Southern Coalition of Social Injustice.

The meeting focused on talking about recommendations and outlined a resolution agreement to correct issues noticed by the NAACP, according to Watson. Lee County superintendent Greg Adkins also recommended to create an office of diversity.

Lee County School District spokeswoman Lauren Stillwell released the following statement:

The Superintendent is looking forward to truly collaborating with the NAACP to address the successes and challenges facing our district, and districts across the country. Many of the focus areas in Vision 2020, the District’s Strategic Plan, align with the goals of the NAACP like: minority recruitment and retention, reducing the number of disciplinary issues and personalizing education so all students can succeed and receive the world-class education they deserve.

To view the entire complaint, click here.

WINK News reporter Brooke Shaffer spoke to Watson for more details:

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