By Calvin Lee, guest columnist
This is an opinion column.
The Lawrence County Board of Education missed the opportunity to hire an African-American male. He applied for a job in the school district but was not selected. He stated, “I had an interview with the School Board Search Committee, which consisted of only one African-American male on the committee and the rest of the committee members were white.” The good thing is he was hired by another county within the State of Alabama.
I am keeping the individual I am referencing confidential. But I believe he would have done a great job as an employee for the school district because he loves teaching students, and I think he would have made a difference in the Lawrence County School System.
The Lawrence County School District appears to differ from other counties in Alabama regarding hiring African-Americans. Other school districts are hiring minorities because they know the importance of diversity in the class- room and workplace. It is a well-known fact that not many African-American males work in the Lawrence County School District.
If we are going to make a change in the Lawrence County School District, we must do away with the “buddy system.” The community must get involved with the Lawrence County Board of Education by attending meetings and calling the board members to let them know we are looking for a change.
