'It's a police state': School board meeting goes off the rails after first black principal reassigned

The first black principal at a racial mixed Georgia school has been reassigned after only one year on the job -- and some parents blame the decision on racism.

Forestella Taylor served just one year as principal at Marietta High School before she was reassigned as a district administrator for accountability and program support, reported WXIA-TV.

Her supporters say Taylor was a difference-maker, and they packed Tuesday's school board meeting to demand her reinstatement.

“She didn’t fit for one reason – because she is black,” said Ken Sprague, a former teacher.

One school member proposed a measure to reinstate Taylor, but it failed by a 5-2 vote.

Racial tensions boiled over at the end of the meeting after parents were allowed to comment, and two people were escorted out of the building by police after calling school board members racist.

“It’s a police state," one person yelled. "Marietta is a police state!”

Sprague, who is white, said racial tension has dogged the school for years, and he said reassigning Taylor only made things worse.

He threatened a federal lawsuit if the principal was not reinstated.

Watch video of Sprague being escorted out of the meeting posted online by WXIA-TV: