How NAACP responds after Hanover student made racist comments on bus

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. – The Hanover NAACP is sounding the alarm about what officials call discriminatory incidents that occur regularly in the county’s schools and that they believe are not being properly addressed.

At a news conference Wednesday night, members of the organization said they could not remain silent after district officials said a Hanover student wrote a racial slur on a Henrico school bus during a Hanover High School football game last week.

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Hanover student wrote racist comments on the school bus during a football game

The group believes the incident “cannot be glossed over” as they say they hear about discrimination often and believe new steps are needed to make students of color feel safe.

“Our children are being hurt and our school system wants to ignore it,” said Patricia Hunter-Jordan, president of the Hanover NAACP.

The group is calling on the school system and school board to do more to hold students accountable and create safer spaces for students of color.

Hunter-Jordan called the bus incident “regrettable.”

“We want the JV team and all the players to know that we don’t support that, we are against it,” Hunter-Jordan said.

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Community members shared stories of racism and discrimination they had experienced in the province.

The organization called on the Board of Supervisors to appoint people of color, recognize that racist acts are not isolated incidents and keep policies in place — including trust, inclusion and equity principles. The group also asked for the district and school administration to gain confidence through collaborative meetings.

“Now we think it’s time to make public the things they’ve always been reluctant to discuss,” Hunter-Jordan said. “I believe the trust that needs to be built lies with our school board.”

A spokesperson for the Hanover School District provided emails between Hanover Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Lisa Pennycuff, and the president of the Hanover NAACP in response to our investigation into Wednesday’s meeting.

Pennycuff wrote to the NAACP that the school system took the bus incident seriously through collective messages they sent to families and students condemning the incident as racism.

The interim superintendent also mentioned the district’s methods of teaching anti-bullying, anti-racism and more. Pennycuff said she discussed the incident with administrators and asked them to remain vigilant, while saying she could not comment on disciplinary actions related to the school bus incident.

“While we cannot prevent every student from making a racist or other hateful comment or decision, any more than law enforcement can prevent every crime or scientists can prevent every disease, we work hard to do our part through swift disciplinary measures that address the seriousness of this despicable behavior and, just as importantly, educating our students, which I outlined above,” she wrote.

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