BUNNELL, Fla. — Flagler Schools Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore announced Thursday in a press conference, that an unidentified teacher and Principal Donelle Evensen at Bunnell Elementary in Flagler County, have been placed on paid administrative leave as an investigation is ongoing after Black students were pulled from class due to low test scores last Friday, Aug. 18.
The district described the incident as a 'horrible, horrific mistake' that was learned about after the fact.
"This should not have happened but it did," Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore said.
Moore offered an apology to parents and students and says there is no excuse for what happened. She has also made it a top priority on her agenda, to speak with the parents who were "upset" and "concerned" and talk with them about avoiding this incident from happening again.
"Going forward if a group of students are going to be brought in and there's going to be a conversation conducted with them that is outside of what families send them to school to be educated on their standards, parents should be notified out that," Moore said.
The PowerPoint shown to students includes several grammatical errors. Listed under 'The problem', AA refers to African Americans “have under perform on standardized assessment for the last past three years." It also says only 32% of students are at a level three or higher for ELA/Math when the school is supposed to have at least 41%.
Parents argue more was than what was on the presentation was said. "They were told that students of their color can end up in jail or being killed if they're not successful. So, it did come up as threatening," parent Dominique A. said.
Dominique was one of many parents of fourth and fifth grade students who say not only did they not get a warning before their children were pulled out of class.
Moore says those comments are being investigated.
"We have two individuals that are on administrative leave, the principal and the teacher we are continuing with the investigation," Moore said.
Jacinda Harrington and Alexis Smith's children were among the thirty students pulled out of class, just weeks into the school year.
"I feel like if other families weren't speaking out, this could have potentially been swept under the rug," parent Jacinda Harrington said.
Moore says she has spoken to most of the families impacted.
"Majority of the families that I spoke with their end conversation was what do we do now, how do we work together as a community in order to ensure we are never in this position again," Moore said.
In statements Tuesday, Bunnell Elementary School Principal Donnelle Evensen and Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore admit parents were not properly engaged.
“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," Moore said in a statement. "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."
Howard says the school should have taken a different approach.
"There's other kids that are not, that don't have good test grades of any other rates, you know, white, black, green, yellow, purple, it wouldn't matter. No other child need to ever experience being singled out being targeted, being discriminated against because of their color," Howard said.
On Aug. 29, the school district will offer a community forum to "improve the outcome for all of our students" and that appropriate discipline will follow at the end of the investigation.