Seattle teacher calls police on Black fifth grader claiming she was afraid
PTA president says that her fear and her calling the cops, “screams school-to-prison pipeline.”
A Seattle based elementary school teacher called the police on a Black fifth-grader stating she was scared due to the threat of being beaten up.
A Seattle based elementary school teacher called the police on a Black fifth-grader stating she was scared due to the threat of being beaten up.
Police arrived at Van Asselt Elementary School in Seattle, but there were no charges pressed as the teacher also feared backlash from the school administration.
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The child who allegedly threatened the teacher is described as being between the ages of 10 and 11-years old, and just under five feet tall. He did not have any weapons with him.
Employees of the Seattle school district have released an audio of the conversation the teacher had with a dispatcher. Accompanying the audio clip was a message from the page’s administrators: “This teacher wielded her white fragility and racial bias like a weapon with no accountability.”
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The Seattle Times described the school’s environment as “heavy” after the incident but has provided the opportunity to create conversations about how situations like this one should be properly handled.
Tim Robinson, Seattle Public Schools spokesman, stated there is an issue in schools involving racial bias and is working with the district to create a policy that “outlines our collective commitment.”
Parents are also asking for the situation to be addressed by leaders of the school district to ensure training for de-escalation of incidents and when is the proper time to include local law enforcement. One of those parents is president of the city-spanning parent-teacher association Manuela Slye who believes the situation “screams school-to-prison pipeline.”
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While the teacher’s name has not been made public, the school board has launched an investigation. The Times details the event occurred after the teacher would not allow the student to be dismissed from the classroom and he responded with the threat of going to “beat the [expletive] out of her.”
The incident is said to have been resolved in early May, and Robinson states that the school suggested an alternative to law enforcement. However, the teacher decided to call the police. Her decision is supported by her union contract.
