ardrey kell high school principal
Cash said he was an advocate for CMS and appreciated the school and district’s leadership. Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball gets huge endorsement from NBA general managers, After student ousted, some question Providence Day promise to listen to Black voices, ‘It was torture’: NC teacher dumped special-ed students in trash can, lawsuit says, ECU gets new leader who grew up in Greenville and has strong ties to the university. “The (CMS school) board’s responsibility is to get rid of him, period,” Mack said. Black graduates of Ardrey Kell said that they were made to feel different and were singled out by their peers, with little support from administration. Audible gasps were heard at the first staff meeting when the comment was made, a teacher tells Switzer in the recording, and some of the people who most visibly reacted to the comment were white. The petition comes after another petition was created asking for Switzer to resign. Principal David Switzer has had a long history of racist allegations surrounding his leadership. These NC schools got COVID testing kits for students and staff. “When stuff like that doesn’t go penalized, it shows the leadership doesn’t care about fixing the problem.”, Switzer said that because he and other school administrators could not share what consequences were assigned to individual students, “individuals may assume that we haven’t done anything in response; however, any race related issue that has reported to us we have addressed appropriately.”. On Monday, CMS released a video of Switzer in front of the spirit rock. “I think it was like a sarcastic comment that you were making from the perspective of someone who might think that all that we’re doing is focusing on how everyone has to be nice to black people.”. About 22 percent of students are Asian and 10 percent are Hispanic. In November, a white athlete sent her black teammate a picture of the girl next to a monkey and a message on Snapchat saying, “U look interesting.”. Ardrey Kell High School Principal David Switzer has been suspended, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools confirmed Monday. He knew all about me when I went to him for guidance during a very difficult time of decision making.”. A person in the second meeting recorded it. The student was disciplined, but officials did not provide specifics. “I thought I said persons of color,” Switzer said in the recording. In interviews with the Observer, eight alumni who attended Ardrey Kell between 2010 and 2018 said that the recent incidents, including the vandalism of the rock and Switzer’s use of the term “colored folks,” were disappointing but not surprising, given their experiences at the school. Let me make it clear that we believe black lives matter. LC: Southwest Bell Schedule: 7:15 AM - 2:15 PM Grades: 9-12 Email School . I’ve known him for four years and he has high character.”. Sometimes that means when they do wrong, there needs to be a conversation had about it.”. Ardrey Kell High School Home of the Knights. Some noted that it was awkward to hear Switzer condemn racist speech weeks after he was in the news for using a derogatory term. He was taken aback when she said that what happened did not surprise her, and that the athlete was just the first to get caught. Shortly after, Switzer said his assistant principal invited all the teachers of color to the second meeting where he apologized for his comments. Established in 2006, Ardrey Kell High School was built in the growing Ballantyne area of South Charlotte. CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Former Ardrey Kell High School students have started a petition to ask for the resignation of Principal David Switzer. I don’t say the N-word either.”. In March 2019, an Ardrey Kell High School basketball player was suspended before a game after allegedly using a racial slur in a social media post. At Ardrey Kell, the penalty for being late to class after two warnings was to be sent to “lockout.” Students in lockout missed their class for the period and were assigned to do manual labor or chores around the school, according to six former students, which included mopping the halls, moving mulch, picking up traffic cones or digging holes in the garden. “If something came out of my mouth, it was not intended in any way to be a hurtful remark or insensitive or something to that effect,” Switzer said on the recording. “One incident is one too many, and it pains me to my core that some within our community continue to express racist views and spew hate speech. A petition has been created to keep Ardrey Kell High School principal David Switzer on the job. Ardrey Kell High School’s principal, David Switzer, who was suspended pending an investigation amid complaints about his response to racial incidents at the school… “Switzer has been a big part in promoting this culture,” said Dylan Bucey, who graduated from Ardrey Kell in 2018. It has more than 3,000 signatures. The same student had previously made a similar comment to another black teammate, The Observer reported. Switzer was first employed by CMS in 1997 as a teacher at Myers Park High School and has held several positions in the district, including principal at North East Middle School. Under Switzer, Ardrey Kell’s graduation rate climbed steadily and the school has excelled in performance metrics. A teacher can be heard telling Switzer that while the issues may not be “a black and white thing,” the recent incidents at Ardrey Kell have all involved black students being targeted, according to the audio. “It could have been a slip of the tongue. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ardrey Kell High School Principal David Switzer has been suspended, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools confirmed Monday. In an email, CMS spokeswoman Renee McCoy said that nine months ago, Switzer reported concerns expressed by his staff to his supervisors. CMS School Web Sites > Ardrey Kell High School. Many signers in support of Switzer said he should not be blamed for students’ actions in the recent racial incidents at the school. Switzer declined a phone interview, and asked for questions to be sent by email. “It was an extension of ‘you look pretty,’ or ‘you should smile,’” she said. Switzer said he was proud of the work Ardrey Kell has done to address racism and bias, but that he was aware the school had a long way to go in undoing racism, along with the rest of the country. History. Brooks was also a teacher at Carmel Middle from 1994 to 2000. In his decade leading the school, he has been widely praised for managing one of the state’s largest high schools and juggling the pressures of overcrowding in south Charlotte. “The gist that I was trying to make is just that this isn’t a white black issue, right? Many pointed to March 2019, when a white Ardrey Kell basketball player used a racial slur in a Snapchat post before a playoff game against West Charlotte High. Some worry as the leader of the school, he may become a scapegoat. LC: Southwest Bell Schedule: 7:15 AM - 2:15 PM Grades: 9-12 Email School. The principal of Ardrey Kell High School has been reassigned to a new job in the district’s central office. It’s a new day at Ardrey Kell High School this school year. 10220 Ardrey Kell Road Charlotte, NC 28277 Courier #: 302. “It’s highly unacceptable,” the teacher said. Over the summer, he had bought copies of the book “The Hate U Give” for all his employees, which tells the story of a black girl attending a predominantly white school after she is a witness to a police shooting. School officials did not confirm what the accusations are, but a Change.org page details alleged incidents of Switzer saying inappropriate things during faculty meetings. The former students are calling for new leadership after constant racial incidents that have happened at the school through the years. The apology by Charlotte’s Ardrey Kell High School Principal David Switzer was made in a follow-up staff meeting to the cultural training in August, according to an audio tape recently obtained by The Charlotte Observer. “You need to do more than condemn it,” Thompson said. “I don’t see him as being insensitive to diversity,” said Cash, who is black. The post included a message of violence and referred to playing “in the hood.” It was captured and shared across social media, the Observer previously reported. On the audio, Switzer says he does not remember exactly what he said, and asks if anyone can tell him what they heard. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. “I just think naturally AK is in a racially charged space right now,” he said. Roughly 200 students, parents and staff attended a rally Wednesday in support of Ardrey Kell High School principal David Switzer, who was suspended … Both families have served the community as farmers, physicians, educators, politicians and church leaders. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Charlotte Observer) - A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools principal apologized for referring to people as “colored folks” during a staff meeting, according to a secretly recorded audio tape recently obtained by The Observer. Former students recalled some of their classmates actively trying to disrupt it, shouting “Make America Great Again” and other messages. After the spirit rock was recently vandalized, Switzer tweeted that what was painted on the rock was not representative of the school, and that “we stand for & support the movement towards social justice for all.”. The alumni said they could not recall students being reprimanded for their behavior. “But he knew my name. Switzer said that Ardrey Kell has provided professional development to staff on culturally responsive teaching. Jamie Brooks takes over at a time when there have been multiple racial incidents that have happened at the school since the school opened 10 years ago. A petition in support of Principal … He said that he worked toward building more positive relationships whenever a student had a negative experience with him or anyone else on staff. Race and Ardrey Kell Switzer has been the principal at Ardrey Kell since 2010. She was an assistant principal at Ardrey Kell from 2007 to 2008 and at Mint Hill Middle from 2003 to 2007. She said that given the current moment, as Charlotte enters its third week of protests related to Floyd, there should be no tolerance for racism and harm to black students. The student was not allowed to play in the the game, though he returned for offseason summer camps and was on the team again this year, the Observer reported. “These are just a few examples of opportunities that some of our students and staff have participated in,” Switzer said. In March 2019, an Ardrey Kell High School basketball player was suspended before a game after allegedly using a racial slur in a social media post. Connect to local news for just $1 a month for 3 months. “I have always built quality relationships with as many students as I could to help them navigate their high school years,” Switzer wrote in his email. The incident was raised with Switzer, who she said responded by asking her whether she had done anything to provoke the boy into cutting her hair. The nine students who spoke with the Observer said despite the school’s series of racial incidents, Switzer and Ardrey Kell leadership did not pursue meaningful changes or discussions to educate the entire student body about race and racism. Switzer then asked employees to “be the brakes, not the gas” and invited them to talk to him directly about things they may hear at school. “So many people complained about it, like, ‘this is unjust, we’re all minors, we’re going to our next class sweating,” Priscilla Bañuelos said. Switzer said that Ardrey Kell has been facing discussions of race “head-on,” and that it was a top priority for the school. Switzer said he was highlighting the training available to staff. “I have never felt so unaccepted in a place, ever,” said Charisse Thompson, who graduated in 2014. Yesterday, CMS announced that the Principal of Charlotte’s Ardrey Kell High School was suspended with pay while the board launches a full investigation into allegations of racism at the school. This changing of the guard comes after the former principal and CMS thought it was time for new leadership. Ardrey Kell High School Online Feedback Form: This email will be sent to angelak.hannan@cms.k12.nc.us. Before that she was an assistant principal at Ardrey Kell… A new principal is now on the job and she wants everybody to feel welcomed at the school especially black students. Ardrey Kell High Principal David Switzer apologized for referring to people as “colored folks” during a staff meeting last fall. There’s no doubt that racism exists – and sometimes becomes very visible – at Ardrey Kell High. “There’s just complacency regarding racist actions,” Bucey said. David Switzer is currently and has been the principal at Ardrey Kell High School for the past decade and yet, as he continues to be in a major leadership position at AK, so do the racist tactics. John Cash, an Ardrey Kell parent who is involved with the school leadership team, said that he had not heard about Switzer’s comment and while he found it antiquated, he did not take offense to it. Principal: Jamie Brooks. Many said Ardrey Kell needed new leadership to implement progress on issues of race, gender and inclusivity. CMS School Web Sites > Ardrey Kell High School > Contact Us. Thus far, we have established a parent task force to discuss the reality of racism at AK and develop plans to make needed changes. The school has been at the center of a string of racist incidents, including in November when a white athlete compared her black teammate to a monkey on Snapchat. LC: Southwest Bell Schedule: 7:15 AM - 2:15 PM Grades: 9-12 Email School. Ardrey Kell principal David Switzer has been suspended with pay while the district investigates accusations made against him, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spokeswoman said Monday. “It was this bizarre form of punishment.”. In March 2019, a white Ardrey Kell boys basketball player used a racial slur in a Snapchat post before the school’s playoff game against West Charlotte High School, which is predominantly black. Many who signed the petition in support of Switzer said that he went out of his way to build relationships and get to know individual students, which they said was impressive given the size of the school. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. He has the vocal support of a large number of parents and former students, many of whom say he went above and beyond to remember students’ names and support them through personal crises. P: 980-343-0860 | F: 980-343-0862: Principal: Jamie Brooks. 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