SUFFOLK, Va. — Some Suffolk parents are calling for the removal of a school board member who made a controversial Facebook post.
Sherri Story's now-deleted post refers to a Parks and Recreation event called "Black Joy in the Outdoors," which encouraged people to gather for outdoor activities over a few weekends in February.
Story, who represents the Chuckatuck Borough, reshared an event flyer with the comment, "Can't wait for WHITE JOY in the Outdoors!"
After the post surfaced online, some parents of students in the school division are calling for change within the school board.
"They [school board members] need to address it because she should not be representing the school board," said one mom in Suffolk.
She said she is concerned about the type of representation while her child is in school.
"I'm outraged. You have diverse people you work with. You have to respect people. You have to respect their beliefs, who they are," the mom said.
The Suffolk school board chair and vice chair sent this statement in response to 13News Now's questions about the post:
"Both the Suffolk City School Board and Suffolk Public Schools are aware of the inflammatory, and insensitive Facebook post made this past weekend by Board Member Sherri D. Story.
Mrs. Story’s post suggests a lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity and perhaps implicit bias towards the African-American culture. Approximately 68 percent of the students in Suffolk Public Schools are children of color. We understand that diversity in our division exists, and work hard to build a unified and inclusive community. Promoting divisive messages only does a disservice to us all.
Findings from a prior hostile work environment complaint filed against Mrs. Story by the school superintendent, concluded that the overwhelming “perception [was] that Representative Story behaves in a way that appears to be biased towards African-Americans, we recommend that Representative Story participate in racial sensitivity training. She has refused to take part in any such training.
The Suffolk City School Board condemns this social media post by Mrs. Story with its racial overtones and lack of respect for people of color."
Story responded to a 13News Now request by defending her position:
“I believe the Title of this public notice is more divisive than inclusive. Focusing on skin color does not help bring people together, in Suffolk or any where else. I would be equally opposed if ANY color, including 'White', were put into such a title that is advertising a public event.
In my opinion, promoting fun activities for the public do not need any divisive reference to skin color variance. Rather, I believe we need inclusive titles that are welcoming to all, such as: “All Citizens of Suffolk are invited to..”
Some Suffolk Public Schools parents said they have sent the school division complaints about Story in the past regarding other incidents, but felt not enough has been done to fix the issue.