Local NAACP talks race relations with WCPSS superintendent
APEX, North Carolina (WTVD) -- The Wake County superintendent met with the NAACP on Wednesday following another racial incident involving students.
After the meeting, Portia Rochelle, the president of the Raleigh-Apex NAACP chapter said she believes she now has the ear of Wake County's superintendent, Dr. Jim Merrill.
And she praised his willingness to continue the conversation.
"We pledged to meet quarterly to be updated on issues and what they're going to do about issues as they come up," Rochelle said. "So it was a good meeting."
It ended, Rochelle said, with a pledge to meet quarterly and continue working on the issues.
The NAACP requested the meeting in mid-March.
The timing of the meeting comes just one week after another racially-charged incident.
A student posted a Snapchat picture showing a step team at Apex Friendship High School. The caption says: "Plantation owner watches his former slaves rejoice and celebrate their newfound freedom. Circa 1864."
RELATED: Apex school step team show marred by racist Snapchat post
Apex Friendship High's Principal said the student who posted the picture was identified and disciplined.
Rochelle said the issue of social media posts didn't come up at the meeting, but she said those posts just personify the feeling of minorities that they are under fire.
She also said the civil rights group's phones have been ringing off the hook since the first reports about the recent racially-charged incidents at two Wake County schools.
"The community is tired of children telling parents that they're being bullied, they're being attacked, or verbally or physically," Rochelle said. "They tell the teachers and nothing is done and that is unsafe for our children."
RELATED: NAACP demands meeting with Wake County Schools
In March, there was an internet post by Leesville Road Middle schoolers chanting, "KKK, KKK", and other racial slurs. Then just before that, there was a video of an African-American student at Wake Forest High suspended after he said he retaliated against a white student who'd been relentlessly bullying him because he was black.
RELATED: NAACP still waiting on meeting with Wake County Schools
