Bunnell Elementary principal resigns in wake of segregated assembly
Bunnell Elementary Principal Donelle Evensen has resigned from her position, according to an email from district Communications Coordinator Jason Wheeler.
The move comes nearly three weeks after the school hosted an assembly in which only Black students were called to the cafeteria to discuss low standardized test scores. Children said during the assembly, one teacher told them that unsuccessful students have a higher chance of going to jail or being shot or killed.
Superintendent LaShakia Moore has asked former Bunnell Principal Marcus Sanfilippo to return as the school’s interim principal, according to the email.
Moore informed Bunnell families of Evensen’s resignation in an email sent at 7:44 a.m. Thursday.
“I know that this has been a rocky start to the year but we as a school and organization are committed to restoring the rest of this year,” Moore wrote. “There are many great things that are happening at BES and we will continue to do even more great things. During this time we need each of you to join us in helping our students and school move forward.”
More: Ex Bunnell principal is indignant and 'broken hearted' over events in resignation letter
Both Evensen and faculty member Anthony Hines were placed on paid administrative leave Aug. 24 pending the results of an investigation.
Evensen had just been named principal of Bunnell Elementary a couple of weeks before the start of the school year. She had been an assistant principal at the school for four years prior. She was named Flagler Schools' Assistant Principal of the Year for 2022-23. Her annual salary was $89,737.
Hines, an exceptional student education facilitator, was hired on Aug. 6, 2019, and earns $68,213 per year, Wheeler wrote in an earlier email.
Parents react to Principal Donelle Evensen's resignation
"I'm glad she chose to resign," said Jacinda Arrington, mom of a Bunnell student who attended the assembly. "It was obviously either resign or, you know, termination that we were shooting for."
Arrington said that she and her family are still waiting to see what will happen to Hines.
"I feel like he needs to either take that step as well, or he needs to be terminated," Arrington said. "I know our children have felt more comfortable going back to school with Ms. Evensen not being there, so I know they'll feel more comfortable knowing that Mr. Hines will not come back, so this is something that needs to happen."
Flagler Schools has not released any updates regarding Hines.
The district's investigation into the assembly has not yet been completed, according to Wheeler. Moore expects it to be completed by the end of this week.
What happened at Bunnell Elementary?
Bunnell Elementary staff members Aug. 18 pulled Black fourth- and fifth-graders out of their regularly scheduled activities to attend a meeting about expectations to improve low standardized test scores.
It didn't matter whether the students had failing or passing grades; Wheeler confirmed that the students were selected to attend the meeting based on race.
What followed was a five-slide PowerPoint titled "AA Presentation" which noted that Black students had underperformed on standardized assessments for the last three years. According to the presentation, which was riddled with typos, 32% of the school's Black students scored at Level 3 or above for math and language arts; that number should be 41% according to testing guidelines.
Read the Bunnell Elementary PowerPoint here
Under the heading "Solution," the presentation stated that each student will "commit to earning at least a Level 3 or higher on all standardized assessments; concentrate on passing all curriculum-based assessments with at least a 75% or higher; commit to maintaining high iReady scores within their individual track."
The presentation also outlined the F.A.S.T. Challenge: Students would be paired up to compete against each other. The student with the highest score in their matchup would be rewarded with a meal from McDonald's.
Two Black teachers led the meeting, according to Wheeler.
An in-school suspension supervisor also attended.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler Schools principal resigns after assembly targeting Black students
