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Discrimination Complaint Filed Against Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

A coalition of concerned community members and activists filed a federal discrimination complaint Monday against the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education and School System. It alleges that they mishandled concerns about mold and air quality at the elementary school Ashley Academy for Cultural & Global Studies, which serves a predominantly black and Latino population in eastern Winston-Salem.

 Host Frank Stasio talks with Michael Bragg, an education reporter for the Winston-Salem Journal, about his reporting on a discrimination complaint filed against Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools.

Teachers have been voicing concerns about building issues, and the school board eventually approved $1.2 million in maintenance work for the school. However, according to the complaint, the response was slow and inadequate. The coalition, known as Action4Ashley, is asking the district to build a new facility for the school and provide support for students and teachers who have suffered as a result of the conditions.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Michael Bragg, an education reporter for the Winston-Salem Journal, about his reporting on the story and what he learned about teachers’ complaints from emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Reverend Alvin Carlisle speaks at a news meeting for the Action4Ashley campaign and advocates for the construction of an entirely new building.
David Rolfe / Winston-Salem Journal
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Winston-Salem Journal
Reverend Alvin Carlisle speaks at a news meeting for the Action4Ashley campaign and advocates for the construction of an entirely new building.

Copyright 2018 North Carolina Public Radio

Anita Rao is the host and creator of "Embodied," a live, weekly radio show and seasonal podcast about sex, relationships & health. She's also the managing editor of WUNC's on-demand content. She has traveled the country recording interviews for the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps production department, founded and launched a podcast about millennial feminism in the South, and served as the managing editor and regular host of "The State of Things," North Carolina Public Radio's flagship daily, live talk show. Anita was born in a small coal-mining town in Northeast England but spent most of her life growing up in Iowa and has a fond affection for the Midwest.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.