An Indiana middle school teacher sparked fury when he allegedly told his students that they were “acting like monkeys in a zoo.”
The educator, who teaches fifth grade at the Merrillville Intermediate School, made the remark during class on Feb. 24, which forced his students to go straight to the principal while incensed parents brought up the incident at a subsequent board meeting, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Dexter Suggs, who has served as the school superintendent for the past two years and is black, said the teacher’s words were not meant to be interpreted as racist – but suspended with pay pending an investigation.
“He said he was frustrated with the students’ behavior and he did apologize, unprompted by administrators,” Suggs said.
Despite the staffer’s apology, some parents were still enraged over the alleged remarks.
One parent claimed that the teacher in question had made an alleged racially insensitive mark previously.
“This is what he thinks about our kids,” the parent, who is an educator in a nearby district, said.
Stephen Mays, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Gary branch, scolded the school district for allowing the teacher – who wasn’t initially suspended – to return to the classroom, and not meeting with parents.
“You let your kids go back to the classroom for that kind of abuse and so people are outraged and now it’s getting out of control,” Mays said.
“Do your job… so we can tamp this down and lower the temperature. To not talk to [parents] is insulting.”
DeLena Thomas, whose kids are enrolled in schools in the district, echoed calls for a resolution.
“It’s not something we take lightly, we’re preparing our kids for a world that is racially tense right now,” she said.
Board members also apologized to parents, and Suggs hopes the investigation will be concluded by Friday.
The school is home to 5th and 6th graders and around 780 students are enrolled, according to the state’s Graduates Prepared to Succeed program.
The controversy comes just weeks after Hunter College professor Allyson Friedman sparked fury when she made comments about black students on a hot mic.
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