Kayla Kenney Appeal Letter

Whitefield Academy
January 7, 2020

Dear Whitefield Academy Administration,

Please accept this letter as my appeal to your recent decision to dismiss my daughter, Kayla
Kenney, from the academic program at Whitefield Academy. It is my understanding based on
your email of dismissal ,dated January 6, 2020, that this is warranted because of a breach of
school policies and expectations due to a picture the administration received via social media.

I am requesting an appeal due to administration not following procedures. In the Student

Handbook it states the parent being notified of said dismissal in person and in a written
statement. I received an email less than 24hours before my daughter was to return to school
from Christmas break. I believe that the picture being referred to is based on assumption. The
administration did not find it necessary to have a conversation with myself nor my daughter
regarding the picture. I do not think Kayla should be held accountable for a cake that I
purchased with no intention of promoting a posture of morality and cultural acceptance that
contradicts that of Whitefield Academy. The only celebration that was taking place was my
daughters 15th birthday.

Since our in-person meeting on October 17, 2019, Kayla has conducted herself in a positive
direction. At the time of said meeting, administration told me that this conversation has
nothing to do with Kayla’s sexuality, which I am assuming is being implied by the recent picture
being discussed. You all expressed to me that you were prepared to walk through this situation
with Kayla and guide her. She started meeting with the school counselor who took it upon
herself to give her a personal development book to read, titled “Gay Girl, Good God: The Story
of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been” by Jackie Hill-Perry. Why would these actions
take place if she was going to be dismissed based on a picture of her in a colorful sweater and a
colorful birthday cake? The receipt for the cake purchased, for her birthday, validates that it
was requested to be a floral assortment of different colors. Nothing specific was requested and
no statement was made to imply anything other than colorful. There is an implied assumption
by the board that this is just cause without any consideration from the source or facts.

As stated in the Student Handbook, our home life is working in conjunction with Whitefield
Academy’s Biblical role to mold students to be Christ-like. Please consider this decision. I am
requesting a meeting with the administration to discuss this further. We would like the
expulsion removed from her record and to finish out the 2019-2020 school year.

I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you

Kimberly Alford