NAACP PROTESTS CENTRAL DISCIPLINE, OUTCOME OF HIRINGS

About 40 percent of Cape Girardeau Central High School's black students have been disciplined this year, while about 10 percent of the school's white students have been punished.

Some 10 to 20 people participated in a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People protest at the high school Wednesday.

The NAACP protested what it called the school's inequity in its treatment of black and white students and its lack of black employees.

NAACP secretary and president-elect Dawn Evans, one of the picketers, said the group wanted to increase community awareness about student suspensions and the lack of black employees at the school.

Principal Dan Tallent has tightened discipline at the school in hopes of improving the climate for students' learning. This is Tallent's first year at the school.

He said punishments are based on student actions, not on race or any other criteria.

This year, 58 students have been suspended from school for up to 10 days. Twenty-two were black, 36 white.

Also this year, 89 students have received in-school suspension. Thirty-one were black, 58 white.

About half the students suspended from school also received an in-school suspension.

Long-term suspensions, for a semester or the rest of the school year, have been requested for 11 students. Four were black. One expulsion is pending. That student is black.

Among the reasons for the suspensions have been truancy, fighting, tardiness, smoking and drug use.

The school's enrollment is 973, of which 851 are white, 108 black, 9 Asian, 3 Pacific Islander and 2 Hispanic.

A possible solution, protesters said, is to hire minority employees, especially black men. No blacks work at Central High. Evans said: "Young blacks need to see strong black males as educators."

Tallent agreed minority teachers and support staff would be good for the school.

"At this age, young people need positive role models," he said. "But we have to have openings and qualified applicants."

A recent federal report shows that 11 full-time school district employees, or 2 percent, are black.

An economic profile compiled by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce using 1990 census data shows 2,771 people, or 8 percent of the city's 34,438 residents, are black.

The district's personnel director, Timothy Niggle, said the district has had trouble recruiting minority staff members. It is tough to attract qualified black teachers to Cape Girardeau.

Blacks from urban areas often don't like the small-town setting, he said, while blacks from rural areas want to move to cities.

Niggle has started working with Missouri employment officials to recruit more minorities for non-teaching jobs.

Next spring he plans to recruit minority employees at schools that have high minority enrollments.

NAACP members said they agreed by consensus at a November meeting to stage the protest after hearing reports about suspensions at the school.

Among those participating in the picketing were Brenda Colon, Flora Clemons, Sarah W. Hale, Juanita Spicer, Robert Robinson, Betty Mosley, Lillian Martin and Clyde Benson. Clemons, Hale, Mosley and Martin have family members who are students at Central High.

NAACP President Michael Sterling said meetings with principals hadn't brought change. Sterling hasn't met with the principal, but Evans has met with Tallent twice.

The next step will be to meet with the board of education, Sterling said.

Central Discipline

Students enrolled at Central High School

851 white, 108 black, 14 other

total in-school suspensions

white 116

black 64

students involved

white 58

black 31

total out-of-school suspensions (1-10 days)

white 53

black 35

students involved

white 36

black 22