Latoya Robinson says school officials are refusing to announce her daughter’s name Kimora Robinson at graduation, despite the teen earning enough credits before her fatal crash.
WINTERVILLE, N.C. — A Pitt County mother says her 17-year-old daughter, who was killed in a car crash while leaving school grounds last fall, will not have her name announced at graduation — a decision she describes as “hurtful,” “distasteful” and “disgusting.”
In a video posted to Instagram, Latoya Robinson said officials at South Central High School and the Pitt County school district have declined to recognize her daughter, Kimora Ashanti Robinson, during commencement ceremonies scheduled for June 7, 2026.
Kimora, 17, died on October 7, 2025, after attempting to turn left onto Forlines Road from the high school parking lot in Winterville.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, her vehicle was struck by a westbound car at approximately 6:09 p.m. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver was transported to ECU Health Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. No charges have been filed.
South Central High School Student Kimora Robinson Tragically Killed In Car Crash
“They’re Refusing to Say Her Name”
In her video, Ms. Robinson said she has met with the school’s principal, spoken with someone in the superintendent’s office and contacted a school board member. She said the response has remained the same.
“With that being said, I’ve had a meeting with the principal, I’ve spoken to someone in the superintendent’s office, and I’ve spoken to a board member – and it seems like everybody is back in the same decision,” Ms. Robinson said. “They’re refusing to say her name at graduation for whatever reason, umm. which is hurtful.”
She added that efforts to honor her daughter within the school community have come from coaches and students — “not because of the principal” and “not because of the district.”
Kimora had earned enough academic credits to graduate last year, her mother said, but chose to remain enrolled to continue participating in dance.
“She only had dance, that’s the only thing she went to school for,” Ms. Robinson said in the video. “And they don’t want to say her name, not sure what the reason is – it’s up to the principal which it shouldn’t be up to one person to decide if they want to say her name or not.”
Ms. Robinson described her daughter as a high-achieving student.
“She had a 3.9 gpa, umm had enough credits to graduate, in the beta club, in the national honor’s society and they’re still refusing to say her name,” she said. “I don’t expect no one to feel the way I feel about my child before or after death, I don’t want no special treatment for her at all – it’s something that she earned, she earned that while she was here.”
She also expressed frustration over what she characterized as inconsistent treatment.
“I’m going to say this, if you know you know. If it was the other way around, it wouldn’t have been no meetings, it wouldn’t have been no phone calls, no discussions, it wouldn’t have even been a topic,” she said. “But I’m glad I no longer have to deal with Pitt County at all for anything.”
Ms. Robinson said she would not attend the graduation ceremony.
“If she was here you would’ve had to say her name, so this is the way I feel however it’s the truth,” she said. “The fake crying, news clips all that was fake to me because now I’m seeing how you really feel and it’s different because my child died at your school, she stayed at your school to dance – she died at your school after practice trying to dance, with that being said I won’t be attending graduation.”
She described the school’s handling of the matter as “distasteful” and “disgusting the way they are going about things.”
Officials with Pitt County Schools have not publicly detailed the reasoning behind the decision regarding graduation recognition. It is unclear whether district policy governs the announcement of deceased students during commencement ceremonies.
Graduation for South Central High School is scheduled for June 7, 2026.
The North Carolina Beat has reached out to the school district for comment on why it is refusing to say Kimora’s name at graduation.
