Teacher suspended for comparing student to a slave

May 13, 2017

A North Carolina teacher has been fired after comparing a 13-year-old student to a slave.

Ayona Wilson said that her son, Dayon Warren, was so mortified when the video hit Snapchat that he has not wanted to return to school since.

The incident apparently took place in the “Cougar Den,” where students finish homework, and began when the teacher got upset that a group of students would not stop laughing.

“Did I call you a ‘n*****?’ No, I said you are being controlled, by kids. That is exactly what happened to the slaves. They were controlled by their owners, you’re letting him control you and you’re the one who’s getting in trouble,” the teacher can be heard saying in the video.

— Video shows black teen confronting white teacher who insists on using the N-word —

“I didn’t know what to say. He started calling me a slave,” Warren said. “He could have said it different instead of using that analogy that I was his slave.”

“It’s more so hurtful than anything because I would never want my children to expect that,” Wilson explained. “[The teacher] should know what to say, what not to say to these children. He also had to know some of the things he says can hurt people and that is going to stick with my son forever.”

The Wake County School District is now investigating, and the Apex Middle School principal sent out a letter acknowledging the investigation that said in part, “I want to make it clear that we have high expectations for behavior and policies addressing codes of ethics for the teachers in our building. We strictly adhere to these expectations and enforce these policies.”