To the Board of Trustees:

It has come to the community’s attention, via the Instagram account known as blackatais, that many experiences of gendered and racial violence have made the Atlanta International School an unsafe environment for students, faculty and staff members of color, particularly those who identify as Black. In normal times, we would look to our leadership for solutions and guidance, in this instance the Head of School, Kevin Glass. However, Kevin Glass, through several particularly troubling stories, has proven himself not only ill-equipped to lead AIS, but also a perpetrator of racial transgressions himself.

On June 17, 2020, a post on blackatais directly references Glass, who allegedly called a mixed-race Black child a “mule” during a “drug smuggle” investigation. Regardless of context, it is common knowledge that this term is racist. The aforementioned incident was brought up in another blackatais post on June 16, 2020, in which the child without parental consent was “interrogated by principals and counselors, locked in an office for 6+ hours with nothing to eat or drink. [They] self-harmed in that room with scissors.” As if the emotional and psychological abuse enacted on this student is not disturbing enough, school leadership threatened to “have [the] family deported if [they] didn’t comply and do what [the school] said. [The school] didn’t contact any authorities and handled it all under the table.”

By allegedly threatening deportation, the school very likely contradicts its core value of “[m]utual respect and understanding in an intentionally inclusive and intercultural community.” Furthermore, under the totality of circumstances, AIS’s reckless decisions might even constitute false imprisonment under Title 16 of Georgia criminal code. Additionally, per AIS’s website, the school adheres to the UNCRC. AIS’s actions might even violate Article 16.1, which states “No child shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his or her honour and reputation.” The UNCRC also decrees that every child “should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding [Preamble,]” regardless of “race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status [Article 2.1.]” By AIS’s own standards, local law, and international accord, the school and its leadership might have even violated basic human rights.

On June 26, 2020, Kevin Glass directed a town hall, during which only he was able to speak, effectively silencing alumni voices. During this process, a question was raised about his time teaching in apartheid South Africa. He claimed to begin working there in 1994. However, in an interview with Global Atlanta, he stated “When a job opportunity came up in South Africa, I seized that in 1992. I leapt at it, and I haven't looked back ever since." It is deeply disturbing that Kevin Glass made a cognizant effort to move from the United Kingdom to the apartheid-embattled South-African district of Mafikeng. Why would he lie to the alumni body about his participation in one of the greatest racialized atrocities in world history?

In a statement to the AIS community, Glass states “[t]his is a time where I find myself searching, as a white man who is not from the U.S. but who has adopted the U.S. as my country, for the right words.” It is concerning, if not terrifying, to hear Glass say that he is incapable of understanding the experiences and concerns voiced by blackatais. As a white, European who moved to South Africa during its battle to dismantle racist structures, Glass cannot declare ignorance of race relations and the exploitation of marginalized communities.

Moreover, it is profoundly unsettling to know that Glass, who would deny knowledge of racialized harm and wrongdoing at AIS, could subsequently lead an investigation into that very same harm and wrongdoing. As Head of School, we hold Kevin Glass not only responsible for his actions, but those of every other submission on the blackatais page and all other incidents that remain unaddressed during his time at AIS.

Students learn from modelling; an institution that allows denial of accountability and resistance to growth from the highest level of the organization is guaranteed to deny the youth proper opportunities to excel for whom the organization is designated to serve. Kevin Glass is not the role model our students need.

As AIS undergoes racial reform, a leader capable of inciting such change is required. Glass has proven himself incapable of leadership. His actions have built an environment that is detrimental to Black students and other students of color. He has failed to address the racist incidents and culture at AIS. It is therefore undeniable that Kevin Glass can no longer serve as Head of School.

The following members of the AIS community call for Kevin Glass’s dismissal or resignation: