Racial incident at Brevard High leads to charges

BREVARD - Transylvania County school officials say things returned to normal this week at Brevard High after racial incidents on and off campus last week that led to suspensions as well as some criminal charges.

“Students and parents with heartfelt concerns have been able to express them openly at school, in school offices, and at our Thursday board meeting. All concerns are being addressed, and the doors remain open for dialogue about maintaining a safe, comfortable learning environment,” school officials said via email.

Three Brevard High students were suspended and a fourth was in the process of being disciplined earlier this week, according to Kevin Smith, schools-community relations coordinator for Transylvania County Schools.

Two of the suspended students were involved in an on-campus incident. The third was involved in an off campus incident.

Smith said the school system takes every threat seriously.

“We have very clear procedures for what to do whether someone feels harassed or threatened in a generic sense versus whether they feel harassed or threatened due to race or gender or sexual orientation or belief of any kind, and those have all been followed to the T,” he said.

The on-campus incident prompted charges against a 15-year-old male, according to Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney.

The teen was charged with ethnic intimidation and disorderly conduct, Mahoney said. The charge involved a threatening comment, according to Mahoney.

A small number of students got into a verbal exchange at the school last week. That led to a larger exchange among 10-12 people.

“There was never anything physical; no fights broke out. It was all kind of verbal,” Mahoney said. “In that initial exchange, our school resource determined that an inappropriate comment had been made that crossed a line into a criminal offense.”

Mahoney said he could not provide details about what the student allegedly said. The student who is charged is white. The other student is black.

In addition to the on-campus incident, Brevard police filed additional charges in connection with an off-campus incident that happened later that night.

Christoper Michael Blackburn, 20, was charged with ethnic intimidation, according to Detective Lt. Steve Woodson with the Brevard Police Department.

Johnathan Johnson, 18, was charged with aiding and abetting ethnic intimidation, and a 16-year-old Brevard High student was also charged with aiding and abetting ethnic intimidation, Woodson said.

Woodson said authorities believe the three were looking for the African American student who was involved in the initial incident at school and went to the wrong home.

They allegedly “walked around the house and were hollering,” Woodson said.

“They just made some threats, they were going to get him because of his color,” Woodson said.

The incidents sparked a number of rumors, and attendance at school was down last Friday.

“Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation out there,” Mahoney said. “I had a number of parents that had called me in the latter part of the week, asking if it’s safe for my child to go to school.”

Mahoney reassured parents that the school is safe.

In an email to parents, Principal Jennifer Anderson addressed the rumors, saying they are “harmful” to students.

“I assure you though, those distractions will not keep us from our service of educating all students, believing in our school or making a difference in the lives of all kids,” Anderson said in the email.

Some students came together for student-led prayer in the wake of the incidents, Mahoney said.

“I think that says a lot about the student body out there too,” he said.