PARK HILL, Mo. (AP) - The superintendent of a suburban Kansas City school district where a small group of students posted a petition online calling for the return of slavery has announced that she will step down next summer.
The Park Hill, Missouri, school district announced Tuesday in a news release that Jeanette Cowherd asked the school board not to extend her contract. It expires on June 30, The Kansas City Star reports.
Cowherd, who was selected to lead the district in 2015, said in a statement that she wants "nothing but the best for Park Hill, now and in the future."
District officials said she "does not know what her next steps will be, but she is looking forward to new opportunities with the flexibility to spend more time with her family and friends."
The Park Hill district had a student population of 11,767 this school year, of which about 12.7% were Black. And the slavery petition put mounting pressure on district officials to improve diversity and inclusion in schools.
Cowherd and other officials have met with students, families, the NAACP and other groups to hear community concerns. And they say work is ongoing, and will result in a plan to "address access and inclusion with measurable outcomes."