Superintendent apologizes after middle schoolers holds mock 'slave auction'

A superintendent in North Carolina has apologized after news spread that students at a middle school held a mock "slave auction," in which white students pretended to sell their black classmates.

According to NBC, Chatham County Schools Superintendent Anthony Jackson apologized after parents were outraged by the display.

"Actions such as these, they just do not reflect who we are as a school system," said Jackson. "And I say, unapologetically, will not be tolerated in the school system."

In response to the incident, the school board adopted changes in policy, and will review the student code of conduct and discipline policies involving acts of racism, he added.

Parents complained that several of the students involved in the incident received just a one-day suspension.

On Monday, a coalition of local groups called the school board to address the situation that occurred at the JS Waters School in Goldston, and require those involved to apologize.

Chatham Organizing For Racial Equity said that the mock auction occurred in the presence of staff and faculty, and had been recorded on video.

"These students were emboldened to not only commit brazen and overt acts of racism but to retaliate further and continue their aggression after serving a perfunctory one-day suspension," the coalition said.

One mother, Ashley Palmer, who wrote about the incident on Facebook, according to Fox 5.

"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 wrote.  "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?"

"The school board unanimously approved Jackson’s proposed policy changes and regulations as part of a comprehensive plan for accountability for racist incidents in schools, support services for students and training for staff," NBC reported.

Jackson also directed the board to authorize a list of new regulations, to direct staff to "begin a full top-to-bottom review of our student code of conduct," in addition to authorizing a district-wide training protocol which includes establishing channels of communication with parents and local community organizations.