Melrose Teacher Claims She Was Fired for Refusing to Separate Black Students

For the second time in less than a year, the Melrose school system has come under fire for an issue regarding African American students.

Kristen McCarthy, a former teacher at Melrose High School, says she was fired in June for refusing to separate a group of black students who routinely sat together in her class, according to a report published in The Boston Globe.

McCarthy denied her supervisor’s request and was reportedly terminated as a result. She’s since filed a federal complaint against Melrose public schools.

Superintendent Cyndy S. Taylor and Mayor Robert Dolan declined to comment on the investigation.

“I was told that I needed to separate them because they were not allowed to sit next to each other because they were black,” McCarthy said.

City Solicitor Robert Van Campen feels “there is no basis” for McCarthy’s complaint.

Earlier this summer, Melrose was found to be in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act is a landmark piece of civil rights legislation in the United States that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

In the previous cases, a Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School student was “subjected to harassment based on race,” during the 2013-2014 school year, the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights determined.

On three different occasions, McCarthy said she was instructed by a district director to separate the students and sit them next to white students.

“I thought that was discrimination to move them just solely based on the color of their skin,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy apparently was slapped with a “needs improvement” assessment from the superintendent for not complying to the seating demands.

“I think that it is pretty evident that there are serious administrative problems,” McCarthy added.