Principal That Instructed ‘White Students Should be in the Same Class’ of Predominantly-African American School Resigns

The Supreme Court Ruled Against Racial Segregation in Public Schools in 1954

Former Principal Christine Hoffman, who instructed teachers at Florida’s Campbell Park Elementary School last month that “white students should be in the same class,” has resigned following her requested transfer to a district office.

In 1954, in Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteen Amendment. As PBS points out, “it put the Constitution on the side of racial equality and galvanized the nascent civil rights movement into a full revolution.” 

In April of this year, however, Hoffman emailed her staff to provide “class list” guidelines, including the directive to segregate students by race. While the former principal offered no initial reasoning, as there is no plausible one, she reportedly later acknowledged that she had used “poor judgment” and advised that she valued diversity.

Following backlash, Hoffman requested a transfer to a district office. “Due to recent events, my presence has created a distraction,” Hoffman recorded on a call that was distributed by the school. “As a result, I’ve requested to transfer and allow another person to lead this school. This was a very difficult decision for me.” School officials granted her request.

Now, Tampa’s Bay News 9 reported, Hoffman has resigned, ending the district’s investigation into the matter.

The St. Petersburg, Florida chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which had closely monitored the situation and planned to file suit against the school district, applauded the former principal’s resignation.

“While there’s never any joy of anyone losing their job,” the NAACP chapter president Maria Scruggs said, “one of the challenges that I think we have faced as a district is to put the needs of the children above all of the political and personal agendas, and I think this was an opportunity where this actually happened.”

The NAACP’s official statement advised that the organization “continues its quest to work collaboratively with the Pinellas County school system to ensure that the resources and personnel are in place to provide black and brown children a quality education.”

School Board members will vote to approve Hoffman’s resignation during a June 6th meeting.

 

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