A Columbia Public Schools middle school principal filed a discrimination lawsuit against the district Thursday, claiming she was passed over as a candidate for principal of Hickman High School because she is a black woman.
Melita Walker, principal of West Middle School, applied for the Hickman position in 2017. Her lawsuit said an all-white panel of interviewers denied her the promotion because she is an African-American woman.
This is not the first time Walker has either been passed over or not selected for an interview, according to the lawsuit filed by Kansas City attorney Lynne Bratcher in Boone County Circuit Court. Walker has applied for “many other positions” within the school district, according to the suit, and has been denied the opportunity to interview.
The lawsuit said Walker was the only applicant for the Hickman job who had earned a doctorate in education. She was interviewed by six white women; three were Hickman High School employees, and one was a parent of a student at the high school.
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