Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Magnet Academy.Photo: Google Maps
The boy and his teacher, Kimberly Newman, completed several assignments together — but once the call was over, she kept talking for more than 30 minutes, seemingly unaware that Stokes could still hear her, the claim alleges.
“She drafted and sent an email to [Stokes' son’s] fellow teachers (and administrators), in which she repeatedly mocked and denigrated Ms. Stokes,” the claim says, adding that Stokes recorded the Zoom screen.
“She then says to her husband, ‘The family is a piece of s—, they are Black, they are Black.’ She goes on to say that [the student] has learned to lie to everyone and make excuses and that “This is what Black people do.' The video is littered with racist remarks about [the student] and Ms. Stokes,” the claim continues.
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The incident was reported to school officials and Newman was promptly suspended, then resigned shortly after, Palmdale School District spokesman David Garcia told thePost.
“We do not stomach racist behavior at the Palmdale School District, whether you are caught on video or not,” he said, adding that the district was unable to open an investigation due to Newman’s lack of cooperation.
“They are so disappointed and in disbelief over the fact that this is still happening in this day and age. Ms. Stokes was asking for help and in response, she gets a racist rant and unbeknown to her, her son is listening to a lot of it,” family attorney Neil K. Gehlawat, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, told the outlet. “There’s this teacher that he looked up to saying these awful things. It’s just so hurtful and difficult for him to process.”
The family is also asking for improved racial sensitivity training among employees in a district where enrollment is 75 percent Latino, 15 percent Black and 10 percent white and other races, theTimesreported.
“They need to look into whether other students under this teacher were getting a fair shake,” Gehlawat told the outlet. “Other Black parents must wonder, ‘Are they saying the same things about my kid behind our backs?'”
The district reportedly has 45 days to file a formal response to Stokes’ claim — which is seeking monetary damages for negligence, defamation and civil rights violations — and after that, the family has six months to file a lawsuit.
source: people.com
