We, the parents, grandparents, friends, and students of Utica Elementary Middle School petition the Hinds County School District Superintendent School Board and MS Department of Education to remove Ms. Delesicia Martin from her position as Superintendent of Hinds County School District, effective immediately.

During Delesicia Martin’s tenure as Superintendent, a lot of issues have gone unresolved. One of the biggest issues is bullying. Her administration has failed to document bullying incidents and effectively address it. We, the parents, feel that Delesicia Martin’s administration failed to uphold their anti-bullying policy because they are ill-equipped to identify bullying. If they were equipped, then they would be able to pinpoint how their own administrative practices are a form of bullying. The administration of Delesicia Martin has made a practice of emptying the school of tenured, quality educators. The former educators reported that their reason for departing was the toxic culture and unfair practices of Delesicia Martin’s administration. If the administration feels threatened by the growth and professional development of a teacher, then they find minute reasons to terminate them. But this practice is not enforced consistently from one employee to the next. When parents and members of the community inquire about the termination of good teachers, the administration offers no response. This is particularly concerning for a small, rural district that has chronic difficulty recruiting staff to fill positions. This directly impacts the quality of our children's education. During a statewide shortage, this is not the time to lose even more good teachers and staff.

The parents of Hinds County School District have given Delesicia Martin ample opportunity to improve her performance as the Superintendent and decrease her high turnover rate of talented educators. But she has proven to be unsuccessful, as recently a beloved teacher at Raymond High School was fired for being inclusive and sensitive towards the needs of her students. These actions show that Delesicia Martin and her administration are not invested in the educational advancement of the students and staff in the Hinds County School District.

We ask that you sign this petition that supports the removal of Superintendent Delescia Martin. This petition will be presented at the December 9, 2021 Hinds County School District Board Meeting. Previous petitions to remove Delesicia Martin have received over 300 signatures but the School District Board Members failed to provide consequences for her actions. This time the petition will be presented to the Mississippi Department of Education and we will take it a step further, if necessary.