A 13-year-old student at the Coconut Palm K-8 Academy in Homestead was allegedly addressed with a racial slur by his teacher.
The incident has since ignited a series of reactions from parents, the school, and the community.
From classroom incident to family outcry
According to reports, Anita and Johnny Richardson, the boy’s parents, said that their son was called the “n-word” by a teacher who is also of Black heritage.
Anita Richardson said that their 7th grader son asked a question in class, and the teacher allegedly responded with “yes ‘n-word’.”
She added that her son was shocked by the comment.
“He’s bothered by it. He was embarrassed, you know she said it in front of the whole class,” said Richardson.
“My child said he told her, ‘Miss, that’s a curse word’. She said, ‘Oh well where I’m from’, she’s from Jamaica, ‘kids or people with locs (dreadlocks) like his, they call them the n-word’.”
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Richardsons’ frustration
Anita Richardson expressed her frustration at the principal’s refusal to remove her son from the teacher’s class and reprimand the teacher.
Johnny Richardson emphasized the teacher’s responsibility, asserting, “It’s very inappropriate. You should be encouraging them not to say the ‘n-word’.”
School district’s statement
The school district responded to the incident by saying “they are aware and the behavior won’t be tolerated.”
“Upon learning about the incident, the employee in question was temporarily reassigned pending the results of an investigation,” it added.
The Richardsons have expressed that they want accountability and an apology from the teacher to their son.
