by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
July 9, 2024
The alleged harassment came after Black History Month.
A family is speaking out about their son’s racist experience at his Connecticut school. Despite the family fleeing the state as a result, the school has denied that racist bullying occurred.
The 14-year-old allegedly had racist messages, photos, and sexually explicit content hurled at him by 10 other students at Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School. Upon learning of this information, school and state officials launched an investigation, the Atlanta Black Star reported.
Their findings revealed hundreds of offensive messages, including from a Snapchat group titled “Ku Klux Klan.” Within the group, slurs marked multiple pictures of the teenager, with constant references to him as the n-word.
In one instance, a student allegedly added the boy to the racist group chat to tell him he belonged in a “monkey exhibit.”
“Hey n—. U should be in the monkey exhibit. U mom should too,” stated one of the students.
Another wrote, “I didn’t see you there n—. Want to go clean my lawn for me? Oh wait, I’m going to whip you first.”
According to the middle schooler, the harassment came after Black History Month, when students began learning about slavery. It went on for months until his father found the messages during an random check of the boy’s phone.
His parents went straight to the school administrators to report the racist bullying. However, a week after launching the investigation on May 31, the superintendent trivialized the issue.
According to the child’s father, the educator viewed the behavior as “kids just playing.” The school also belongs to a district where 88% of students are white, according to statewide data.
“When she told me that, I immediately stood up and I told her directly, verbatim, ‘If you don’t see a problem, then you’re the problem,’ and I walked out,” the boy’s father said.
The parents received no new updates from the initial school investigation, including whether any of the involved students faced consequences. With no disciplinary action or police report, the father felt the Connecticut school and law enforcement had failed his child.
“I expect it, to be blatantly honest,” he said. “The system is not designed for Black people. I can’t say I’m shocked. It’s more disappointment and hurt that in 2024, people would still think that it’s OK.”
The young boy will now complete eighth grade online. He will also undergo racial trauma therapy.
The local NAACP chapter and Black Lives Matter leaders have deemed the racist bullying a hate crime. As for the Connecticut State Police, a case remains ongoing with hate crimes units also involved.
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