An eighth-grade English teacher in North Carolina resigned after telling black students in her class that they would be her “field slaves” if it weren’t for the Constitution. Parents claim this is just one of several racist incidents at the school.
Teacher tells black students they would be her “field slaves” if it weren’t for the Constitution
Last month, the Winterville Charter Academy teacher reportedly asked black students to raise their hands on Constitution Day and told them they would be her “field slaves” if not for the founding document.
After news of the horrific incident went viral on social media, Winterville Principal Annastasia Ryan addressed the situation in a letter sent to families on Oct. 5.
“As soon as we learned … we immediately took action,” the director wrote. “The result was the resignation of a teacher.” Ryan confirmed that the teacher would not return to the school and said the former instructor and current and future staff members would have “culturally sensitive training.”
But some parents remain unhappy with the school’s response.
Katherine Tillman, mother of a current student, told the media, “I don’t think the school had no idea before Sept. 20.” She added, “I think the school knew about it and chose to continue to ignore it.”
The concerned parent also recalled an earlier incident in which another teacher had referred to a black female student as his “little monkeys.”
Tillman revealed that the parents had scheduled a meeting with the principal, but when she and other parents arrived at the school, the doors were locked and the school said the meeting was canceled.
