Racial profiling alleged in suspensions of Wheeler High students

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A 14-year-old girl was among nine Wheeler High students who spent a weekend in the Cobb County Youth Detention Center after watching two classmates fight. Some parents say the punishment was too harsh and likely racially motivated.

Cobb school officials deny the allegations and say the teens did more than observe the Oct. 23 brawl.

"They were encouraging [the fight]," said Jay Dillon, spokesman for Cobb schools. "In addition they were extremely, extremely disrespectful to administrators and to the police."

After consulting with Cobb Police -- but not the parents of the students involved --  the teens were shipped to the detention center. Wheeler administrators also suspended the students for 10 days.

"They treated these kids like they killed somebody," said parent Tracey Townsend, whose daughter, Destiny, 14, was among the students detained.

Though the police report classified the fracas as gang-related, Dillon said Tuesday night, "From what I understand, it wasn't a gang fight."

But Kasonia Parker said school officials initially identified her 15-year-old son William as a "Blood" because he was wearing red shorts.

"He's on the football team," said Parker, 36. "He's not in a gang."

Both mothers allege that race led school officials to reach a hasty conclusion about what instigated the fracas.

"I believe it was racial profiling," said Townsend, who plans to attend a protest outside Wheeler Wednesday morning. "It wasn't just black students who were watching [the fight]."

Dillon said race was not a factor. "The immediate concern was the safety of our students," he said.

The punishment is standard, Dillon said: "They were being disruptive. They should've been in class."

The suspensions are set to end next Tuesday.

"I'm ready for him to leave this school," Parker's mother said. But Townsend wants her daughter to remain at Wheeler.

"This is why I moved to Cobb County, because of the schools," said Townsend, 33.