Arkansas High School Says Half A Valedictorian Is Sufficient For A Black Honors Student And Would Avoid A "Big Mess"

School District Won't Allow Black Valedictorian

Rock for town to hide under >>>>>>>>>>>>>.

7/26/11
McGeeHee High School, Education News


After four years of nearly straight-As, Honors and Advanced Placement classes, 18-year-old Kymberly Wimberly achieved the highest GPA at McGehee Secondary School southeast of Little Rock, Ark., according to a court complaint.

However, instead of awarding the student for her hard work and dedication, the school denied her the valedictorian status because she was black, according to Wimberly's lawyer, John W. Walker.

This is not the first time this has happened in the school's history:

"[The] defendant's actions were part of a pattern and practice of school administrators and personnel treating the African-American students less favorably than the Caucasian ones..." While the school is 54% white and 46% African American, until Wimberly, the last African-American valedictorian in the McGeeHee school district was in 1989, 22 years ago. Hmmmm...

After Kymberly was told she would be the class valedictorian, there were whispers of discontent over her race.

School personnel were overheard discussing that Wimberly's valedictorian status might cause a "big mess."

The next day, high school principal Darrell Thompson told Wimberley's mother that he had decided to name a white student as "co-valedictorian," even though Wimberly had a higher GPA and a press release had already been sent out to the local paper naming her to the position.

The school board refused to hear the mother's appeal on her daughter's behalf, noting that it "would reflect badly" on white students for a black student to be tops in her class. It just wouldn't look right for an African American to be the smartest

"Aw shucks! This is Arkansas," remarked a local man who never completed High School. He offered Wimberly $100 to attend college if she would dismiss her lawsuit.

Wimberly seeks punitive damages for violation of equal protection rights secured by the 14th amendment of the U.S. constitution.

The McGeeHee School District seeks to hide under a big rock, such as the one pictured above.