Parents upset after 'Wall of Ugly' teacher named teacher of month


Some parents of students at a charter school in Huntersville said they’re upset that the school allowed students to name a teacher involved in a racially-charged project as teacher of the month.

The parents spoke after learning that students at Lake Norman Charter School had voted to give the honor to a biology teacher.

Two months ago the teacher had initiated an experiment asking students to draw what their randomly mixed children might look like.

The result was a poster called the “Wall of Ugly” that led to an apology by school administrators.

“They apologized and then turned around (and) allowed that teacher to be teacher of the month,” said one parent who did not want to be identified.

“The school is showing us they aren't taking ownership of the diversity issue,” she added.

A school spokeswoman said the school did not endorse the selection, but let students vote on their favorite teacher.

Lake Norman Charter is having a Cross Cultural Town Hall Meeting Wednesday night, during which the issue was expected to come up, but the spokeswoman said it is one of many regularly scheduled town hall meetings that the school has held since 2011.

But the parents who raised concerns about diversity at the school said it is time to do more than talk.

“Actions speak louder than words, so after you've voiced your opinion lots of times, you expect a response, not just words,” one parent said.

Source: WSOCTV.com