INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — At Tuesday night’s School Board meeting, local NAACP President Tony Brown told the Indian River County School Board that he and others see a pattern of discrimination and prejudice against African-Americans in the school system.
“This School District is run by fear and intimidation,” he said, listing five brief examples of what he saw as discrimination and prejudice in hiring, promotion, transferring and termination of African-Americans in the school system.
As one example, Brown said a school system employee had recently called an African-American student “a colored boy,” and no one in authority took issue with that.
As another example, Brown told of an African-American who, he said, was removed as a coach in Sebastian with no explanation given. And, as a third example, he spoke of an African-American teacher who was transferred from Vero Beach High School, after speaking negatively about the district at a School Board meeting.
He addressed School Board member Jeff Pegler who holds a law degree: “Mr. Pegler, you’re a barrister,” he said. “If you see something repeated three times or more, wouldn’t you call that a pattern?”
Pegler said nothing in response because, as part of the rules, School Board members do not respond to speakers during the public comment portion of their meetings.
Brown also said that Schools Superintendent Dr. Fran Adams had not provided answers to explain the actions of the district administration.
Like Pegler, Adams also remained silent.
When Brown’s allotted time of three minutes was up, Benny Rhyant, president of the county’s Pastors Association, addressed the board.
He said that his greatest concerns were over what appeared to be a pattern of prejudice and discrimination in the schools of the Gifford community.
“The dream is at a distance. We need to press on until it becomes a reality,” said Rhyant one day after the holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and one day after the second inauguration of Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American President.
Rhyant said he has presented a written complaint to the NAACP that detailed problems in hiring, promotion and firing of African-Americans in the school system.
Earlier in the week, Brown said that being ignored by the board and superintendent when he tried to get answers was “motivational to the community.” As a result, dozens of citizens attended the meeting in support of Rhyant and Brown, practically filling the audience area of the meeting.
After he left the meeting, Brown reiterated outside the building what bothered him, Rhyant and others: “Questions about discrimination and hiring in the School District need to be asked and answered.”