Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | News: Local News:
A former Preston Hollow Elementary School teacher says she was fired for fighting racial segregation at the school.Graciela McKay filed a federal lawsuit Friday alleging that school officials retaliated against her for speaking out about discriminatory practices at the school.
The suit comes nearly a month after U.S. District Court Judge Sam A. Lindsay ruled that the school’s principal, Teresa Parker, used English as a Second Language classes to segregate many black and Hispanic students from white students.
So was McKay just following orders to keep her job?
Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | News: Local News:
Ms. McKay, who is Hispanic, did not testify during the federal trial, said Carlos Becerra, an attorney with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund who represented the Hispanic parents in their segregation lawsuit.But Mr. Becerra said Ms. McKay sympathized with the Hispanic parents and allegedly gave them a copy of an e-mail saying that the Preston Hollow PTA planned to make a promotional brochure that excluded Hispanic and African-American students.
What’s interesting is that McKay’s lawsuit includes the PTA and certain members. Maybe there was too much parental influence? Regardless of how this turns, whenever I hear the following statement, I’m automatically suspicious:
Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | News: Local News:
Mr. Ronquillo said Ms. McKay was not fired, but rather her contract was not renewed.
This is supposed to make it sound like the district hasn’t taken any negative action against the individual? For some apparently unrelated reason, we just decided not to renew her contract? Why do you think contracts have to be renewed annually if not to avoid having to fire people?
