School district working to improve staff race relations

(AP) — The Burlington School District says it's working on a plan to improve race relations among staff after the diversity office director and two other black employees complained of discrimination.

Nikki Fuller, director of the District's Diversity, Equity and Community Partnership Office; Henri Sparks, the office's equity director; and DaVerne Bell, the director of diversity education engagement, filed a complaint in June 2015 to a school board committee that they were experiencing a lack of respect from colleagues and outright harassment and discrimination.

According to the district's 2014-2015 annual report, 65.2 percent of students were white, 14.3 percent were black and 11.5 percent were Asian.

"The lack of procedure relative to racism and discrimination complaints leaves the (diversity office) feeling that the work done by them will only go as far as a certain point, and then the issue is dropped," the investigator's report said, while noting that relations seemed to be improving since Yaw Obeng became superintendent last year.