Photo: Eastpointe Community Schools
A white superintendent in Michigan has been hit with her fifth racial discrimination lawsuit within the past two years.
According to Atlanta Black Star, Pleasantview Elementary School Principal Falicia Moreland-Trice, who is Black, filed a federal lawsuit against Eastpointe Community Schools and Superintendent Christina Gibson, alleging that the district fostered a racially hostile work environment against Black employees.
The lawsuit accuses Gibson of admitting to using the N-word in front of Black employees, not allowing Black principals to sit next to each other at district meetings, and berating Black female staffers.
During a July 2024 training session, Moreland-Trice alleged that she heard Gibson state that Black people would be more likely to shop at Whole Foods if the store offered "chitterlings and greens." Gibson also allegedly said the Black principal's school "would be treated differently" than another elementary school in the district run by a white principal.
According to the suit, Moreland-Trice requested to relocate some of her students to another school due to overcrowding and seating. Gibson allegedly declined the request, telling Moreland-Trice, "Your kids can sit on the floor." The superintendent is also accused of approving more resources for the white principal's school.
In another alleged instance, Moreland-Trice prohibited a parent from attending a school ceremony after they brought a gun to the school and were arrested for brandishing a firearm. Gibson overruled Moreland-Trice's decision, allowing the parent to attend the ceremony, according to the lawsuit. A violent encounter occurred between the parent and Moreland-Trice, who was allegedly physically and verbally assaulted.
According to the lawsuit, Gibson also withheld COVID-19 hazard pay from Moreland-Trice while approving payment for white school administrators.
Moreland-Trice is among five employees who have filed a racial discrimination suit against Gibson in the last two years. Four former Black district employees, including another principal, a security administrator, and a special education teacher, filed separate federal complaints in 2023 and 2024, alleging retaliation and racial discrimination.
“We are continuing to work with district legal representation to assess these claims and are prepared to defend against these allegations vigorously as we continue our work to serve and educate the children in our community,” the district said in a statement addressing the latest suit.
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