Updated 6:00 p.m.

Racial achievement gaps and student-driven harassment have plagued Loudoun County Schools for decades. Following an official apology from the school administration for its role in actively fighting desegregation efforts in the district, the county’s NAACP Branch is calling for decisive action.

The apology from Loudoun county public schools was issued in the form of a video which listed a detailed timeline of events from 1954-1967 that set the stage for issues that exist in the district today, and pushed the Loudoun NAACP to share its terms of conciliation, according to the Loudoun Times-Mirror.  The NAACP branch previously requested an investigation into discrimination by the Division of Human Rights within the Virginia attorney general’s office, and leaders within the NAACP believe the apology was issued in response to the state’s investigation.

“To offer an apology when you already have terms of conciliation on the table that you’re ignoring seems to be a little bit disingenuous,” Michelle Thomas, president of the NAACP Loudoun Branch told the Times-Mirror. “While you’re talking when we’re actually asking you currently to take actions that can save lives and help children today, it doesn’t make sense at all.”

The eight-page document entitled “Proposed Terms of Conciliation” aims to address systemic racism within LCPS, leading with a call to eliminate standardized testing as a requirement for the county’s gifted and talented program. The proposal would require that a student maintain a C average and math level consistent with their grade to be entered into a random lottery that would aid in “selecting a diverse student body that is reflective of the demographics of the LCPS student population” for the gifted and talented program.

The Loudoun NAACP is calling on the school district to “eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment in LCPS, including racially motivated incidents occurring in school,” the document reads. Other calls include eliminating disciplinary policies that have disproportionately affected Black students. The group suggests an online system for reporting bias that would trigger the notification of parents and administrators — including last year’s newly appointed Director of Equity, Lottie Spurlock.

“Loudoun County Public Schools is committed to providing an inclusive, safe, caring, and challenging learning environment for all students,” Director of Communications for LCPS Rob Doolittle wrote in an emailed statement to DCist/WAMU. “Because this matter is the subject of an ongoing complaint filed by the NAACP with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, it would not be appropriate for us to comment.”

Issues of racism and harassment have been reported as recently as September as the school year began.

Over the course of Loudoun’s first week of virtual learning, several students used racist slurs during class, showed sexual or racist images on screen, or joined virtual sessions in classes or schools of which they were not a part, WAMU reported. Superintendent of schools Eric Williams sent an email to families denouncing the student’s behavior but did not name specific students involved.

In early 2019, Williams tasked the Equity Collaborative, a national consulting firm, with assessing the racial well-being of the district which resulted in a 23-page report that found that students of color are more likely to be disciplined and are often the victims of racial slurs, creating a hostile learning environment. Williams issued an official proclamation last year condemning white supremacy with a vow to close achievement gaps.

This story was updated with comment from Loudoun County Public Schools.