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Black high school student says school wouldn't let her be sole valedictorian because of race
BY LARRY MCSHANE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, July 26th 2011, 12:16 PM
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A student says she was denied the honor of being the sole valedictorian because of her race.
A black teen-age mom with the highest GPA in her class was forced to share valedictorian honors with a white classmate by a racist Arkansas school district, a lawsuit charges.
The federal suit was filed last week on behalf of Kymberly Wimberly, 18, against the McGehee school district, its superintendent and her high school principal.
"Defendants did not support African-American students, and did not want to see Wimberly, an African-American young mother, as valedictorian," the nine-page suit charges.
"But for Wimberly's race, defendants would not have selected a student with a lower GPA than Wimberly to also be a valedictorian."
The lawsuit was first reported on Monday by the Courthouse News Service. Both Wimberly and the white student spoke at the McGehee Secondary School graduation in May, the lawsuit said.
A message left with the school superintendent for comment was not returned on Monday, according to MSNBC.com.
According to the lawsuit, Wimberly - who missed three weeks of her junior year after delivering a baby - earned all A's except for a single B during her four years at the school.
Her grade point average was the highest of any student in the Class of '11 - but school officials opted to name a second valedictorian, a white student with a lower GPA, the suit said.
Wimberly's mother Molly Bratton said she was blocked from addressing the school board about the flap until after the graduation ceremony.
The lawsuit seeks punitive damages of $75,000 or more, as well as a declaration that Wimberly is the sole valedictorian of her class.
lmcshane@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...#ixzz1TGXCxaoW
BY LARRY MCSHANE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, July 26th 2011, 12:16 PM
Getty
A student says she was denied the honor of being the sole valedictorian because of her race.
A black teen-age mom with the highest GPA in her class was forced to share valedictorian honors with a white classmate by a racist Arkansas school district, a lawsuit charges.
The federal suit was filed last week on behalf of Kymberly Wimberly, 18, against the McGehee school district, its superintendent and her high school principal.
"Defendants did not support African-American students, and did not want to see Wimberly, an African-American young mother, as valedictorian," the nine-page suit charges.
"But for Wimberly's race, defendants would not have selected a student with a lower GPA than Wimberly to also be a valedictorian."
The lawsuit was first reported on Monday by the Courthouse News Service. Both Wimberly and the white student spoke at the McGehee Secondary School graduation in May, the lawsuit said.
A message left with the school superintendent for comment was not returned on Monday, according to MSNBC.com.
According to the lawsuit, Wimberly - who missed three weeks of her junior year after delivering a baby - earned all A's except for a single B during her four years at the school.
Her grade point average was the highest of any student in the Class of '11 - but school officials opted to name a second valedictorian, a white student with a lower GPA, the suit said.
Wimberly's mother Molly Bratton said she was blocked from addressing the school board about the flap until after the graduation ceremony.
The lawsuit seeks punitive damages of $75,000 or more, as well as a declaration that Wimberly is the sole valedictorian of her class.
lmcshane@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...#ixzz1TGXCxaoW
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