Former headmaster at Nicholas Sparks-founded school files bias suit
The former headmaster of a school founded by Nicholas Sparks has filed suit in federal court against the bestselling author of “The Notebook” and other school officials alleging racial bias, the Associated Press reports.
According to the AP, Saul Hillel Benjamin’s suit claims “he was forced out after trying to recruit black students and faculty and supporting a bullied group of gay students.”
Contacted by the AP, Sparks’ attorney denied the allegations.
The website TMZ, which says it has obtained a copy of the suit, has more details about its contents. According to TMZ, when Benjamin complained to Sparks and others that only two of the school’s 514 students were African American, Sparks responded, “Black students are too poor and can’t do the academic work.’”
Additionally, Benjamin claims that after he met with the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP, that Sparks was angry and instructed him to “engage only in private and less visible contact with African Americans.”
Sparks founded the Epiphany School of Global Studies in New Bern, N.C., in 2006. The K-12 private school charges $6,700 to $7,700 annual tuition.
Benjamin’s exact tenure there was not known, but he was in his position in 2013.
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