A Wedowee, Ala., high school principal accused of threatening to cancel his school's senior prom if any interracial couples planned to attend was suspended with pay by the local School Board.
The Randolph County Board of Education suspended Hulond Humphries until reports that he tried to ban interracial dating and told mixed-race student, ReVonda Bowen, 16, that she was a mistake can be investigated.
Humphries has been under fire since Feb. 24, when students say he asked an assembly at Randolph County High School - where 62% of the 700 students are white and 38% are black - if any interracial couples planned to attend the April 23 prom. Students say he then threatened to cancel the dance.
Bowen, who has a black mother and a white father, said she spoke up and asked, "Who am I supposed to take to the prom?" She says he replied: "That's just it. Your mommy and daddy made a mistake, and I'm going to see to it that no other mistakes like that are made."
Humphries retracted the threat the next day, and supporters say he tried to apologize to Bowen.
Critics say Humphries has a pattern of racial insensitivity.
In 1989, the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Education criticized Humphries for encouraging black and white students to ride separate buses. It also charged he disciplined black students more frequently and more harshly. Subsequent federal reviews did not find any problems.
At Monday's meeting, which 500 people attended, board lawyer Donald Sweeny said the board could be held responsible if it didn't respond to complaints and recommended that Humphries be suspended. The board, with six white members and one black, voted 5-2 for the suspension.
"This has been the worst emotional situation I have ever experienced in my life," says School Board Chairman Danny McCord. "What we have to do is listen to all sides of the issue. . . . I certainly hope this has been acceptable with everyone. Right now the safety of every man, woman and child in this county is my concern, and also justice."
Several people addressed the board meeting, which was carried live on local radio station EAGLE 102, including Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, who asked that the board rule "against bigotry."
The city (pronounced we-DOW-ee) is split by the incident with some demanding Humphries' resignation or firing.
"They should have gotten rid of him a long time ago," said Wedowee City Councilman John Bailey, who is black.
Saturday, about 100 vehicles paraded through the center of town in a show of support for Humphries. His supporters say his comments were misunderstood and that they came out of frustration over a series of student fights stemming from interracial dating.
