NAACP leader contradicts himself on redistricting plan

The NAACP is speaking out about last night’s school board redistricting decision. Wilmington’s chapter of the civil rights group has hired a lawyer and is preparing to fight the decision of neighborhood schooling.

Wilmington NAACP president Harold Beatty says the New Hanover County School Board should have redistricted middle schools to create socioeconomic balance and not to keep students at schools close to their homes. But for some parents, their decision to buy a home in a specific area was a result of wanting their child to go to a specific school. Now a certain slice of revised map 2C households are forced to bus their children elsewhere.

A four to three majority voted Tuesday night on the neighborhood schools much to Beatty’s disappointment, but he told WWAY he doesn’t think busing is the best route either.

“I don’t care how they do it,” Beatty said. “I don’t care how they get it done. They are the experts (supposedly) on this. Let’s get it done.”

The NAACP says it will do whatever it takes to diversify the classrooms. During our conversation, Beatty contradicted himself more than once. One moment he said black children are not getting a good education. The next he said it was not a racial issue.

Parents we spoke with said their biggest problem with busing is the long ride for the kids and the extra time moms and dads would have to take out of their schedule to be part of their child’s education because of the distance from home to school.