By Frances Weller | June 13, 2020 at 2:05 PM EDT – Updated June 13 at 6:26 PM
BURGAW, N.C. (WECT) – Members of a Black Lives Matter group and the NAACP plan to protest outside a meeting of the Pender County Board of Education next week, alleging the board is inappropriately handling racist claims.
In a press release issued by the Pender County Branch of the NAACP, it states “that white teachers, staff, and administrations have sought to cover up acts of racism that include but not limited to the use of racial slurs by white teachers, intimidation of staff, and other heinous acts.”
It goes on to say “most recently our Branch President, Rev. Dante’ A. Murphy requested that the school board delay the decision to hire a law firm to conduct an ‘independent investigation’ into the widely publicized use of racial slurs by school staff. The school board, at the insistence of its board attorney, rejected the proposal and moved forward to spend thousands of dollars on a phony and fixed investigation.”
On Friday, the Pender County Board of Education announced it had hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation of allegations that an individual staff member had made inappropriate comments.
The Pender County Board of Education meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, June 16 at 5:30 p.m., will be held at Topsail High school.
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