Will it ever end?
A teacher from the United States of America is making headlines after telling her black students that they would have been her field sales if it wasn’t for the constitution.
Furious parents of black students in Winterville Charter Academy’s eighth-grade class told WITN, a news agency, about the racism that their kids had experienced.
Kanisha Tillman, a parent of a student at the Winterville Charter Academy, was furious after she got to know about the incident.
During an interview with WITN, she said:
She had them raise their hand during a constitutional lesson and reminded them that if it wasn’t for the Constitution, they would be her slaves… her field slaves.
A statement from school’s head teacher Annastasia Ryan admitted that there was a “racially insensitive lesson” at the school.
Ryan also said that the teacher had resigned.
The statement added:
On Monday evening, it was brought to the attention of school administration that a racially insensitive lesson regarding the importance of the Constitution of the United States was carried out during an English lesson on Constitution Day.
Ryan also said that several children were allowed to use racially insensitive words.
The parent added:
As soon as we were made aware of each incident we immediately took action. The result was a teacher resignation and the children involved being disciplined in accordance with our parent and student handbook.
Ryan, a parent, said that the culture of the school is built on “one of acceptance, love, and respect to serve all children and their families. The inner workings of our school are surrounded by intentional effort to eliminate implicit and explicit bias”.
The thing is, it’s not only the teacher.
Ryan said that another student is currently being investigated because of a racially insensitive remark.
The National Heritage Academies, the group that administers Winterville Charter Academy among some 90 other educational establishments, said that the school responded fast.
The spokesperson of The National Heritage Academies said:
The school leadership team acted immediately upon learning about a racially insensitive lesson and student remarks. We are currently working to address ongoing concerns from parents that racially insensitive student remarks continue. While student and staff privacy rights prevent me from sharing specific details. What I can share is that we will not tolerate racism in our school community and will continue taking swift action that addresses these issues.
No further information about the incident was shared with the public.