Minority ​Group Wants Discipline Record Of Student Cleared

GREENDALE, WI - A local minority advocacy group is calling for Greendale School District officials to remove disciplinary records from an African-American student, saying the district was wrong to punish her for her reaction to the incident and that the disciplinary record will hinder her as she pursues a college education. School district officials say the records won't hurt her as she moves forward.

At issue for Parents Advocating for Greendale Equity, or PAGE, is a September 2018 incident involving Greendale High School junior Chanese Knox. In that incident, Knox, one of the 23 African-American students currently enrolled in the school, says she was suspended in September after verbally confronting a classmate who referred to her by a racial slur on two separate days in September.

Knox said she missed homecoming and two swim meets. "They left me in a room with two police officers. That's not normal," she said at that time. News of Knox' discipline sparked outrage among the minority community, leading to numerous rallies in front of school, calls from the ACLU to pursue minority education reforms, and the formation of a minority advocacy group.

PAGE is now calling for the Greendale School District to remove all sanctions against Greendale High School junior Chanese Knox stemming from her verbal response to being called the racial slur by another student last September.

"This must include removing all trace of the wrongful school suspension from her academic record, and removing the athletic suspension that still hangs over her head and threatens not only her participation as a Panther student athlete, but also jeopardizes her future as she plans her college career," PAGE leadership said in a statement to Patch. "Ms. Knox was attacked in the most offensive way, with an insult on par with a physical assault, and yet responded with restraint."

PAGE leadership says that several teachers witnessing the interaction that September school day, allowed both students to continue to their classes, only to have school administration remove her from class 40 minutes later.

PAGE leadership said that school officials brought in police officers to question her, and "pursued the harsh line of a suspension that resulted in her being denied the opportunity to participate in homecoming celebrations, as well as being disallowed from competing in two meets as a member of Greendale High’s swim team."

PAGE leadership says that the district's suspension triggered an automatic penalty with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association, which will remain on her record. PAGE says the District refuses to request removal of the automatic WIAA athletic suspension.

In a statement to Patch, Greendale schools said they are maintaining the confidentiality of Knox's disciplinary record and will not comment on student discipline matters as a matter of policy. District officials said that student disciplinary records are not a part of a student transcript and are not shared with colleges or universities, meaning whatever disciplinary records that were recorded in High School will not be forwarded to a potential university admissions board.