Union County NAACP says schools won’t work with them. District says they’re lying
Union County’s chapter of the NAACP said publicly Monday Union County Public Schools leadership refused calls to forge an official partnership for 10 years. The Union County Board of Education said the claims are false.
Union County NAACP President Archie Hansley made the claims in a news release. Hansley will speak about the NAACP’s concerns during public comment at the school board meeting Tuesday night.
“Despite repeated outreach efforts and offers of collaboration over the past decade the Union County School Board and Superintendent have consistently declined to recognize the NAACP’s commitment to helping address systemic inequities, provide mentorship, and advocate for resources that would benefit students most in need,” the Union County NAACP said in the news release.
But a response letter from UCPS leadership said it “vehemently refutes” the claim. The district cited that UCPS is currently listed under “partners” on the Union County NAACP’s website.
“Let us be clear: what was written is false, deceptive and misrepresents Board and district leadership, and our integrity,” it stated. “For more than 10 years, there is clear evidence of Union County Public Schools partnering with the Union County NAACP on multiple initiatives.”
The claims
The NAACP chapter asserts that UCPS has rebuffed its proposals to collaborate on initiatives such as mentorship, tutoring support, advocacy for inclusive curricula and community engagement.
“Our chapter has a long history of working to ensure every student—regardless of race, income, or zip code—has access to a quality education,” Hansley stated. “To ignore our partnership is to ignore the needs of the very students who are falling behind academically. We stand ready to help, and we urge the Superintendent and Board of Education to put politics aside and put students first.”
The organization also claims the district chose not to implement suggestions made by the Citizens Advisory Committee for Diversity. It was a group of community members the school district formed in 2020 and tasked with bringing a set of recommendations to the full school board about how to create a more inclusive district culture.
The committee set of recommendations in January 2021 called for more cultural competence training for students and staff and the creation of an Office of Equity.
“When the time came to put the recommendations of the tax-payer funded project into action, Union County Public Schools turned a deaf ear to the findings and refused to disseminate the findings in any official capacity district-wide,” the NAACP statement said.
However, UCPS contends that the two organizations have collaborated on multiple efforts in recent years.
“Over the last decade, Board leadership and the Superintendent have met with Union County NAACP leadership on multiple occasions about various topics including, student achievement, Board of Education policies and community outreach initiatives,” UCPS said in the letter, signed by school board chair Jimmy Bention Sr. and Superintendent Andrew Houlihan.
The letter argued the district supported the NAACP’s efforts to form a local youth council and that Bention and Houlihan both met with local NAACP leadership, including its Education Committee, earlier this year. UCPS also said it supported the NAACP’s efforts to form a mentorship program at Monroe Middle School last school year.
“While the Union County NAACP has never submitted a formal proposal or plan, these activities clearly support the Board of Education and Superintendent’s commitment to partner, engage in dialogue and work to improve our schools,” the letter stated.
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 5:11 PM.
