Dress code sparks fed complaint. Investigators visit Wilson County twice; no determination yet made

Carl Smith’s grandson attends Darden Middle School. His grandfather said he is small for his age and gets picked on at school by other children. More concerning for Smith is he claims his grandson also is picked on by the Wilson County School system. (Paid Content)

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) To Visit Pitt County

Greetings:

The Pitt County Coalition for Educating Black Children will host a team from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) on March 16, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at the Lucille W. Gorham Intergenerational Center Chapel, located on the corner of w.5^th Street and Tyson Street, in Greenville.  The OCR visit is part of their investigation of a civil rights complaint filed by the Coalition on behalf of students that were excluded from participation in classroom instruction, were suspended from school for dress code violations, were excluded from extra curricular activities due to dress code violations, or were denied college scholarships due to dress code violations.  

 

Parents that have children that have been affected by Pitt County School Dress Code are urged to attend this meeting and share thier experiences.  OCR will interview affected individuals and hear testimonies about how the dress code has impacted parents and students. 

 

The Coalition found evidence that Pitt County School’s dress code policy disparately impacted African American students and was used by the District to:

 

·         Exclude African American students from college scholarships.

·         Exclude African American students from extra curricular activities such as honor clubs.

·         Exclude African American students from classroom instruction thus increasing the achievement gap.

·         Increase financial contributions to Pitt County Schools from clothing manufacturers and clothing retailers at the expense of African American families.

 

This is a District wide issue impacting African American students across the county in all high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools.  Please plan to attend and spread the word to others who have children that are affected.  If you are to end this discrimination we must stand up and be counted.

Sincerely,

Rev. Ozie Lee Hall, Jr., President

Pitt County Coalition for Educating Black Children

Post Office Box 1699

Winterville, NC   28590