FLA: Polk County School Board Chair Kay Fields told 10 News, “To me, diversity is just as important as family, in my opinion. You look at Lincoln Academy. Lincoln Academy is in a black community. So, to me, that’s important. That’s a part of diversity, and I think we have to look at all of it.” 
Is race keeping a brother and sister from attending the same school? That’s the question facing the Polk County School Board.
The students’ parents have been fighting for weeks to get their kids in the same magnet school. For the family, it’s not about race. They say it’s simply about keeping the family together. However, school officials say it’s more complicated than that.
“We think this continues to be just swept under the rug,” says Chris McLaughlin. He and his wife, Stacey, are taking on the Polk County School Board to stand-up for their kids.
Rising first grader Trip and soon-to-be kindergartener Katie should attend the same school under normal county policy. However, now that Trip has gotten into the top-notch magnet school Lincoln Avenue Academy, a technicality means Katie can’t go with him.