TCSS Superintendent Addresses Wednesday's Walkout At Hillcrest High

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa School System says it is putting together a plan to ensure the concerns of its students are heard following a walkout Wednesday at Hillcrest High School after students said parts of the school's Black History Program were censored by school administrators.

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As Patch previously reported, students claimed that they were told by school administrators the student-led program would not be allowed to address any issues in American history prior to the 1970s, namely slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.

This prompted hundreds of students to walk out in protest on Wednesday, despite two different community meetings hosted by the Tuscaloosa branch of NAACP. The meetings were held as a way for students to voice their concerns about the program.

"The Tuscaloosa County School System supports our students’ right to peacefully demonstrate," TCSS Superintendent Keri Johnson said in a statement on Wednesday. "A number of our Hillcrest High students have concerns about the culture within their school. We care deeply about our students, and it is important that their concerns are heard. We are putting together a plan to make sure our students feel heard, so that we know the right steps to put in place to ensure all students know that they are valued."

Johnson's statement Wednesday afternoon came after students, led by senior Jamiya Brown, listed demands of the school system, such as a meeting with Johnson, certain assurances of equality and more diversity among school administrators.

Students and organizers also said if their concerns are not acknowledged by school officials, a rally will be planned on Feb. 14 in opposition to a proposed property tax increase on the ballot for that day, the revenue from which would add additional funding for TCSS if passed.

What's more, organizers threatened to run their own candidates for the county school board in the next round of elections if they were not given an audience with TCSS officials to air their concerns and frustrations.

"I'm inclined to believe that the administration at the school has allowed a culture of racial insensitivity that has created a toxic learning environment for students," Tuscaloosa NAACP President Lisa Young told Patch. "It appears that community leaders are being told one thing, while students are being told something entirely different. There are too many students saying the same thing for it to be untrue. The students walked out to bring awareness to issues that they feel that the administration is ignoring."

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