Segregated water fountains in Rockdale County school were ‘unapproved’ lesson

District officials “immediately” launched an investigation, Chesser said during Thursday’s school board meeting.

They found that the teacher did not follow the approved resources or lesson plans provided by the district, and that the activity was not included in the teacher’s submitted lesson plan, Chesser said.

“The teacher did not have any discriminatory intent, and this was not a prank,” she said. “This activity did not align with district expectations, and we recognize that this may have been hurtful.”

Honey Creek Elementary Principal Adriene Valentine-Lanier said in a letter to families Wednesday that they do not believe there was any “ill intent.”

Neither the superintendent nor the principal shared whether any disciplinary action will be taken. Valentine-Lanier said no further information would be shared because it is a personnel matter.

The activity was related to Ruby Bridges, a civil rights activist who was the first Black student to attend an all-white school in Louisiana.

The Georgia NAACP and the group’s Rockdale County chapter called the signs offensive in a joint statement. They called on the school system to reaffirm its commitment to equity and to implement districtwide anti-racism education, and cultural competency training for staff and students. About two-thirds of Honey Creek’s 470 students are Black, according to state data.

“This is not just about one school,” the statement read. “This is about who we are as a society, and what we choose to tolerate. We will not be silent.”