TCSS Superintendent Voices Support For Hillcrest Students After Walkout

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa County School System Superintendent Keri Johnson provided parents with an additional statement Friday after hundreds of Hillcrest High students walked out this week, allegedly to protest the school's administration censoring parts of its student-led Black History Month program.

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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.

"The Black History Program is performed as a tribute to how far Blacks have come in America and the barriers we faced as we progressed as a people," Hillcrest High senior Jamiya Brown said on Thursday. "I've never heard anyone telling the Jewish people not to discuss the events that occurred during the Holocaust, so we should be free to educate others about the obstacles Blacks faced when we came to this country."

Johnson initially responded with a statement on Thursday, saying TCSS supported the students' right to protest, but issued another message Friday reiterating the sentiments, while providing additional context.

Indeed, Johnson said some Hillcrest students expressed concerns that not all parts of history would be included in the Black History Month/Unity Program, which is student-created and student-led.

"TCSS supports our students in expressing themselves, and including all parts of history, such as slavery and the civil rights movement, in their program," she said. "We also teach these topics in our history classes, as they are part of the Alabama State Department of Education history standards."

While the statement from the TCSS central office did lend support of the Hillcrest students, it stopped well short of providing specifics on the incident that sparked the walkout and did not refute the claims made by students and the Tuscaloosa branch of the NAACP that Hillcrest administrators told them to omit topics like slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.

Still, Johnson also mentioned that a number of Hillcrest students have also expressed concerns about the culture within thee school.

"We care deeply about our students, and it is important that their concerns are heard," she said. "We are putting together a plan to make sure our Hillcrest High students have an opportunity to express their concerns openly and honestly. Listening to them will let us know the right steps to take to ensure all students know they are valued. This work will begin Monday."

As Patch previously reported, one of the primary demands made by student organizes asked for an immediate meeting with Johnson and TCSS administrators to discuss issues relating to numerous topics such as the lack of racial diversity among school administrators and how Black students are treated by school officials.

What's more, students and organizers have also said if their concerns are not acknowledged by school system 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.

"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 on Thursday. "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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