NAHS staffer calls it quits amid racism allegations

ATLANTA — A North Atlanta High School staffer calls it quits amid allegations of racism.

Channel 2's Aaron Diamant obtained a letter that Amy Durham sent to Atlanta Public Schools officials, saying she's done after spending nearly two months trying to get to the bottom of the anonymous allegations that also cost other employees their jobs.

When now former North Atlanta High School interim Principal Mark Mygrant got fired in dramatic fashion 10 days ago, he wasted no time stating what led to his sudden dismissal.

"I think just personally it's just power and ego gone wild," Mygrant said in an exclusive Channel 2 Action News interview.

Convinced he got the boot over anonymous allegations that two of his recent hires were racists, he strode into district headquarters last Tuesday with documents he said would clear his name.

"I feel that it will shed much-needed light on this," Mygrant said.

Mygrant won't say anything more, but Diamant has confirmed Mygrant was providing paperwork to fill an open-records request filed by veteran school staffer Durham, a target of one racial complaint.

Mygrant had offered her a teaching position, but the school board never approved her contract. In her withdrawal letter to district leaders, Durham wrote after learning about the racism allegation, she filed the open-records request with the board "seeking specific details relating to the scurrilous and false charge, but received no word back from them about this accusation."

While it got sorted out, Durham had been showing up at the school to teach, but after Mygrant got the axe and top school leaders suddenly got reassigned, Durham called it quits.

"In light of recent school developments and dim prospects and since I cannot resign from a position that has not been approved, I hereby, regrettably retract my offer to serve as a Language Arts Teacher at North Atlanta High School," her statement said.

Last week, Channel 2 submitted an open-records request for the documents Mygrant turned over, but so far, the district has not produced them.

WSBTV