By Mia Khatib
mia.khatib@triangletribune.com
A racially diverse group of Discovery Charter School students were on a FaceTime call in September when a white student directed racial slurs at them and brandished a firearm in the background, allegedly threatening to “take care” of them at school.
Concerned parents took to Facebook to raise awareness of the incident and question the school’s safety protocols. The post was soon removed, and DCS Managing Director Toni Shellady shared video responses addressing the issue with parents.
She maintained that DCS has no jurisdiction over what takes place between students off campus and urged parents to closely monitor their kids’ phones. “I need to be clear, no direct threat was ever made to the school,” she said in one video. “The school did everything we could with the information we had and handled it, and it is done.”
But parents Brittani Clark and Arssante Malone felt her virtual response was racially insensitive and downplayed the issue, only briefly mentioning that a gun was shown and not shedding light on the racist language used. They said Shellady showed their son, who was shaken by the incident, that the priority isn’t to his feelings or well-being but to the school’s image.
“There aren’t any counselors that look like us [or] little to no administrative individuals,” Malone said. “What I’ve seen and what other parents have seen is [they] have a history of protecting white students when students of color are the victims.”
Although the incident took place off campus, the family said the harm spilled over. Rumors that the student was going to bring a gun to school spread the next week, racist language persisted on campus, and their son was allegedly shoved by the same student in the school bathroom, they told The Tribune.
Parents raised these concerns to Shellady but were told some students who used racist language were protected under federal exceptional children’s laws, which outlines rights for students with disabilities. But Malone said if a manifestation determination that proves the child’s behavior was a result of their disability wasn’t conducted, “then that doesn’t justify.”
“To kind of make such a broad statement as a means of protecting these white students is irresponsible,” Clark said. “Those students that are subjected to those racial slurs and that racial harm, how are they being protected?”
In a statement to The Tribune, Shellady wrote: “Racial slurs, bullying, and name-calling are prohibited at DCS. We are not at liberty to discuss consequences regarding individual students but can say that consequences surrounding hate speech and bullying include, but are not limited to, suspension, DEI training, parent conferences, ongoing family support, and restorative practices.”
Malone filed a grievance with the school board on behalf of his son but was quickly denied. Board member Carl Forsyth responded: “We firmly stand behind Ms. Shellady’s handling and decisions surrounding the situation and there is no appeal to the board.”
The family plans to file a complaint with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction Office of Charter Schools, as well as a civil rights complaint.
MORE PARENT CONCERNS
More parents of color told The Tribune their children often receive harsher discipline for lesser offenses, aren’t given the same level of care as their white peers, and racist language and bullying has been rampant on campus since DCS moved from Club Boulevard in Durham to Bahama in 2021.
Bree Broadway said her eighth-grade son was pulled into mediation and his class schedule changed because a white parent wanted to separate him from their daughter. Another time, he was forcibly removed from a classroom by a Black teacher. In both cases, Broadway said she only found out months after the fact from her son.
Meanwhile, Broadway said she is quick to receive emails from administrators warning of her son’s behavior for incidents like tossing a sauce packet in class or not wearing his mask properly and “occasionally hitting people” on the bus — which was rephrased to “horsing around” when contested.
“Am I the only one seeing the prejudice that’s going on here?” she said. “They pick and choose what they want to deem important depending on who is reporting it.”
Danielle Thomas has an eighth-grade son with disabilities that can limit his understanding of social cues. She said he was kicked off the soccer team and received three days of lunch detention for making inappropriate comments — which the school deemed as hate speech — on a car ride to a game.
Shellady told The Tribune exceptional children’s law doesn’t extend to athletics and extracurricular activities, and in cases when a student’s learning disability or ignorance hinders their understanding of their words, DEI training may be used as a substitute or in addition to suspension.
But Thomas felt the situation was “manipulated” and a case of bullying, with other students allegedly egging him on, laughing and recording the incident to video. “He had a very hard time with that because he felt like he got a double punishment,” she said. “When it’s a Black child or a child of color versus a white crowd, it’s almost like the punishment is greater.”
Shellady shared data with The Tribune that showed Black students accounted for 10% fewer suspensions than their white peers during the 2022-23 school year. However, a Tribune analysis of the data shows that 37% of DCS’s Black students were suspended versus 31% of white students when compared to the enrollment by race. White students on average received more days of suspension – 2.22 days compared to 1.69 for Black students.
Broadway and Thomas said Black teachers and students of color have left DCS because of the overarching bias on campus, and they’re close to following suit. Both say their sons have developed serious mental health issues.
“This has really impacted my son in a negative way,” Thomas said. “[My son’s friend told me] ‘I don’t hear [your son] no more. It’s like his personality was taken away. He’s not laughing.’”
Mia Khatib, who covers affordable housing and gentrification, is a Report for America corps member.
