Local mother explains why she feels her son was unjustly expelled; Cobb County teachers responds after being fired for reading a book about gender identity

National data suggests, Black male students are suspended or expelled at a rate almost 3.5 times greater than white students. Zaire Byrd, a Fulton County student and a member of the Partnership for Southern Equity family, says he was “unjustly expelled” from Tri-Cities High School’s magnet program. Byrd, his mother, DeAndrea Byrd, and Sterling Johnson Sterling, the director for the Partnership for Southern Equity's (PSE) Just Opportunity Portfolio, discuss why Byrd was expelled and the ongoing push for all students to be treated fairly.

Plus, the Cobb County School Board recently voted 4-3 to fire veteran educator Katie Rinderle, citing that she violated district policies for reading the book “My Shadow Is Purple” by Scott Stuart to her fifth grade class. Rinderle along with her attorney, Craig Goodmark, discuss the incident and the actions they are now taking.