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Thursday, August 21, 2008
What should Wilbanks do?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some Gwinnett County parents are demanding Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks resign because comments he made last week during a discussion about student discipline could be viewed as racist.
The discussion focused on how minority students make up a disproportionate number of children disciplined in Gwinnett. An administrator cited a study saying the issue is a problem everywhere, except Idaho.
Wilbanks then said: “Do they have any blacks in Idaho? They don’t have many.”
Some parents questioned why the long-time superintendent made a racial comment. The president of the Gwinnett chapter of the NAACP scolded Wilbanks and said he should apologize.
Wilbanks has since said his comments were not meant to be racist or insensitive.
What do you think of Wilbanks’ comments? What should happen to him?
On a much, much lighter note: State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox will appear on “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?”
