Superintendent Apologizes For Mock Slave Auction Where Middle-Schoolers Sold Black Classmates

A schools superintendent from North Carolina has apologized for a mock slave auction that took place within the walls of a K-8 school.

A new action plan has also been approved after parents raised an outcry over the auction, where white middle-schoolers pretended to sell their Black classmates in the presence of staff and faculty.

"Actions such as these, they just do not reflect who we are as a school system. And I say, unapologetically, will not be tolerated in the school system," Chatham County Schools Superintendent Anthony Jackson said at a Chatham County School Board meeting Monday, according to ABC News.

The mock auction that took place at the J.S. Waters School earlier this month sparked outrage among parents. One parent, Ashley Palmer, wrote about it in a Facebook post on March 4.

"Our son experienced a slave auction by his classmates and when he opened up we were made aware that this type of stuff seems to be the norm so much that he didn't think it was worth sharing," Palmer noted. "His friend 'went for $350' and another student was the Slavemaster because he 'knew how to handle them.' We even have a video of students harmonizing the N word. Since when were children so blatantly racist? Why is this culture acceptable?

Several students involved in the mock slave auction were given a one-day suspension, but some parents complained and said this was not enough.

Jackson acknowledged the "unacceptable incidents" in a letter addressed to the community dated March 8.

"We have become aware of recent incidents involving students using racially insensitive language and offensive imagery," he wrote. "These incidents were unacceptable and do not reflect who we are as a school system or a community. Incidents such as these cannot and will not be tolerated by Chatham County Schools."

Several students, parents and community members were part of the school board meeting that was held Monday. One mother told the school board that her son was one of the children allegedly sold in the mock slave auction. However, the mother said she only found out about it from another parent.

"I asked my son why didn't he tell me? He responded with, 'Mom it wasn't a big deal,'" the mother said, as per CNN. "I am a mother who just had to explain to my son why being auctioned as a slave is unacceptable. This moment in my son's early life has already made him question playing the sport he loves with his friends, and I pray this does not impact him mentally and socially going forward."

Jackson responded to several accounts shared with the board. "As a father, as an educator, as a grandfather, tonight was very difficult. It's difficult to sit here and listen and hear and hurt for our children," CNN quoted him as saying.

The superintendent's action plan, which was unanimously approved by the school board, included changes on how racist incidents in schools will be handled. The plan also included training for staff members and support services for victims.