NAACP Sounds Alarm Over Alleged Racism At Virginia Beach High School

Following reports of alleged racial harassment at Kellam High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the Virginia Beach NAACP spoke out.

Following reports of alleged racial harassment at Kellam High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the Virginia Beach NAACP and the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office both issued statements decrying the alleged incident and asserting that there was no place for such beliefs and actions in the community.

According to WAVY, the Virginia Beach NAACP’s President Dr. Eric Majette issued a statement concerning the allegations and called for school administrators, educators, and community leaders to take decisive action.

“The rise in emboldened racist behavior in recent years is alarming and unacceptable. Racism should have no place in our schools, our communities, or anywhere in society,” Majette said in a statement. The Virginia Beach NAACP is committed to ensuring that all residents, especially African Americans, can live without fear or undue anxiety due to the color of their skin.”

Per the report from WAVY, the students involved are subject to the discipline laid out in the school district’s code of student conduct, which has a zero tolerance policy regarding racial discrimination and harassment.

In addition to the NAACP, Macie Allen, the Public Information Officer for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in Virginia Beach, released her own statement to the outlet indicating that although the incident at the high school was reprehensible, it did not meet the level required for criminal charges.

“The situation that occurred at Kellam High School is reprehensible. We understand that people believe the actions of these students should be punished criminally. A thorough investigation was conducted by the Virginia Beach Police Department and reviewed by the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.” Allen said. “The Office has determined that this behavior doesn’t rise to the level of a crime under Virginia statutes. It’s important to note that Virginia’s hate crime statute is not a punitive statute but rather provides the definition of hate crime that can then be used to escalate punishment under other criminal statutes.”

According to 13th News Now, Kellam High School sent an email to families on March 13 about the incident, but beyond saying that one student had been racially harassed by a group of students, and that a staff member intervened immediately after witnessing said harassment, many of the details were vague.

According to the email, “the students involved will be disciplined to the fullest extent possible based upon the school division’s code of student conduct.”

Melinda Rogers, a member of the Virginia Beach School Board, indicated in her comments to the outlet that the incident points to a larger pattern of behavior in Virginia Beach.

“Any kind of racist behavior that is harassment is not acceptable in our community. It’s not the first time it’s happened in our community. We’ve seen instances at Kellam, at Kempsville, at Cox and across the city. Because it keeps happening it tells us this is a problem we need to address,” Rogers said.

Rogers continued, indicating that the board would only address the issue if the parents of students who were involved wanted to appeal the punishments of their children.

“The school board does lack details, and the investigation is ongoing. We don’t have all the details because they [VBCPS] are gathering statements, all of that has to be processed. I feel that we have to do better. Staying silent doesn’t change what is happening. This is why I’ve decided to say something and I absolutely believe that the more we talk about this the more we will say we will not accept this,” Rogers said.