‘What’s Going On?’: Superintendent Apologizes After ‘Coloreds Only’ and ‘Whites Only’ Signs Were Used In ‘Unauthorized’ Lesson for First Graders, Some Wonder If Teacher Will be Fired
It was intended to be a stark reminder of the racism that stained the Jim Crow South. But the mother of two Honey Creek Elementary School students said the lesson went too far after they discovered “Whites Only” and “Coloreds Only” signs posted above water fountains.
A woman named Nikisha (whose family’s last name is being withheld) told 11 Alive News station her fifth grade son, Kingston, and his first grade sister came home from the suburban Atlanta school last week confused and upset by what they saw in their school hallway.
“We just came back from recess, and we were going through the cafeteria,” Kingston recalled. “I was going to get water, and over the water fountain, my friends told me to look up. There was a note — it said ‘Coloreds Only.’”
Kingston told a teacher about the sign and it was promptly taken down. But he would soon discover other troubling signs, including one that read “Whites Only” by the school nurse’s office.
“And my little sister saw more signs too,” he said. “They weren’t just in one place.”
KIngston said the signs made him feel alienated.
“I felt kind of offended and awkward, because there’s not just Black people in our school — there are also white people and other races,” he said. “It made me feel like we were being separated by race.”
Nikisha contacted school administrators.
“It took me aback. I was like, what’s going on?” she said. “Immediately after getting the details from my children, I sent an email to the principal and superintendent.”
The principal responded with an email thanking her speaking out and confirming that the incident would be investigated.
School superintendent Shirley Chesser also contacted Nikisha and on Thursday publicly addressed the controversy for the first time. The incident was not a prank, she said, but instead an unauthorized social studies activity intended for first grade students.
“This activity did not align with district expectations, and we recognize that this may have been hurtful,” Chesser said during the school board meeting.
Kingston said other students laughed at the signs.
“I thought it was like racist, and I thought nobody should feel that way,” the 5th grader told 11 Alive. “I don’t think anyone should feel like they shouldn’t belong in certain areas because of their skin color.”
The Georgia chapter of the NAACP condemned the episode, calling it a “a chilling echo of our nation’s darkest chapters.”
“It is a stark reminder that the legacy of segregation is not history for many—it is still a lived reality,” the state NAACP said.
The signs were not part of the teacher’s submitted lesson plan and were not approved by administrators, the superintendent said. An investigation was promptly opened by the Rockdale County School District’s human resources department.
They found the signs originated from a lesson about historical figure Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to attend a formerly whites-only New Orleans elementary school in 1960.
Earlier this week, following Nikisha’s complaints, the Rockdale school board sent a letter to parents trying to explain how the signs got posted.
The letter said the teacher did not adhere to approved resources or recommended lessons provided by the district. The signs were “inappropriate and unvetted,” the district said, though they insisted the teacher had no ill intent. They would not say whether the teacher was disciplined.
Many online are outraged along with the parents. “If the Teacher used a lesson plan that was not approved. When is she being fired?” asked on user on Atlanta Black Star’s Instagram.
The NAACP called for prompt “comprehensive, systemic change,” including:
- Mandatory anti-racism education rooted in historical truth.
- Cultural competency training for all educators, administrators, and students.
- Safe spaces for dialogue led by trusted voices from our communities.
- Transparent engagement with parents and stakeholders, rooted in trust, equity, and repair.
Nikisha said she was disappointed the teacher responsible for the signs remains at the school.
“Accountability in this case looks like whomever took it upon themselves to place that sign is removed from educating our children,” she said to 11 Alive. “Because I feel as though what the motive and the way that it was done, it did cause harm… they should not be teaching at Honey Creek anymore.”