ELK GROVE, Calif. — The employee accused of displaying a Confederate flag inside a district van is no longer working for the Elk Grove Unified School District, the school announced.
The school released a statement saying they promised students the right to attend school free of bullying and discrimination.
"We want our students who identify as Black and African American to know that every school has people they can rely on to create a safe space," the statement reads.
Erin Somers, the president of Elk Grove Unified School District Parent Coalition, told ABC10 she applauds the school's decision to part ways with the employee.
"We can hopefully look to them to continue the work that they need to do so we need to continue to hold them accountable," Somers said.
Loreen Pryor, with Black Youth Leadership Project, told ABC10 the school district needs to be transparent about the investigation that led them to fire the employee.
"They will hide behind, ‘well it’s a personnel matter,’" Pryor said. "That’s not accountability. The community needs to know who the person is to make sure they were held accountable. And I can’t do that with a ghost."
The school district released a statement in June to confirm they found a small flag during the investigation. They said vehicles, like classrooms, must be safe spaces for both students and staff and that displaying the Confederate flag is not tolerated.
Monty Watkins, a parent of two students in the district, told ABC10 in June that he found the flag hanging from an AC vent inside of a van's cabin.
"I'm not really trying to go around starting a bunch of crap because it took me a minute to think about it," Watkins said. "But they are around kids, and those vans are at the schools."
The school district also took "appropriate action" towards additional employees for not reporting the flag earlier, but the statement did not elaborate on what those actions were. The district did not release the identities of those involved in the incident.
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read
WATCH MORE: Former Target employee alleges discrimination and bullying at retail store in Sacramento
“I literally seen where she wiped her arms and told the other co-worker she didn't want any Black to rub off on her," said Crystal Sims, former Target employee.