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NAACP calls on SPS to terminate contract of its superintendent

The NAACP and community leaders are calling on Seattle Public Schools to terminate the contract of superintendent Denise Juneau.

The group said during her time as superintendent, she has encouraged racism and sexism throughout the district.

They laid out the actions that have caused them to call for her termination, saying she has made things worse.

Although Juneau has created a new office for African American Achievement, there are strong accusations about her removing Black leadership in schools.

“I actually was on the interviewing committee, and I actually recommended Juneau, and that was a mistake,” said NAACP education chair Rita Green.

“Denise Juneau does not serve our community. In fact, I don’t even think she cares about the Black community,” said Gerald Hankerson, president of the NAACP’s Alaska-Oregon-Washington State Conference.

In less than three years, the NAACP said six Black men who worked in top leadership roles were forced out of their jobs by Juneau, and many of them are now working in neighboring districts.

Hankerson said, “Denise Juneau, over the last three years, has purged all Black male leaders in the Seattle School District. Purged!”

Juneau did not talk to KIRO 7 about the allegations, but in a four-page written response, SPS said they have hired or promoted more teachers of color, school leaders of color and central office leaders of color. Last year, she said her principal obligation was to improve education for students of color.

“It became my life’s calling to undo the legacies of racism in our education system and to lay the groundwork for future generations to define their own life outcomes and help them achieve their dreams,” Juneau had said during a state of the school address in 2019.

However, Clyde Merriwether said during the NAACP media briefing, “If a student does not see a manager, how do you aspire to ever become a manager?”

Parents and teachers pushed back, with Melissa Mann, a Seattle teacher saying, “You know they speak equity, equity, equity, equity! Well, where is the equity for teachers?”

Mann teaches at Orca K-through-8, and she said she has been a target of discrimination in her school and has asked Juneau for help.

“I cried out, saying I need help! And it breaks my heart for you to ignore my help. You ignore my call as a teacher,” Mann said during the new briefing.

“She cannot hide behind her gatekeepers! That she seems to hire every once in a while to say go out there and tell those Black folks to get off my back!”

KIRO 7 was told by a district spokesperson that Juneau will not step down, and she will continue in her role at SPS.

The school board has also gotten letters of support from several nonprofit groups and parents urging them to renew Juneau’s contract.

NAACP Seattle-King County holds a press conference and calls on Seattle Public Schools superintendent to step down, accusing her of racism. Watch the entire briefing below.