A coalition of concerned community members and activistsfiled a federal discrimination complaintMonday 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.
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 withMichael 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.