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Reductio ad absurdum screams racism
It was reported nationally and internationally that a 12 year old black boy was suspended for one day for staring at a female classmate at St. Gabriel Consolidated School in Glendale, Ohio. The initial reports stated that the girl is white and made no mention that a white boy was suspended as well for the same incident. Subsequently it was revealed that the girl was Asian with white parents.
Why all the mention of race? After reading all of the court documents, the deposition from the principal, Mrs. Tolbert’s notes documenting her interactions with different persons at the school, and the effecting of a most severe punishment for an incident that at best deserved a verbal scolding, reductio ad absurdum screams race.
The incident seemed no different than behavior that is all too common in every middle school. Remember, these are 12 year old kids.
Following are the uncontested facts of what occurred from the COURT OF COMMON PLEAS HAMILTON COUNTY, OHIO Case No. Al501513.
On September 8, 2014, Denzel and another male student in the 7th grade at St. Gabriel stared at a female student in their class (Compl. Ex. A; Brainard 29-30; Brainard Ex. 5). Denzel and the other male student did not touch or speak to the female student. (Id.) The female student’s parents wrote a letter to seventh grade teacher Mrs. Losekamp on September 9, 2014, stating that she was uncomfortable and fearful as a result of the incident. (Brainard 18). In response, the two seventh grade homeroom teachers at St. Gabriel, Mrs. Losekamp and Mrs. Watson, questioned Denzel and the other male student that same day. (Deposition of Nicole Brainard at pp. 20-21; hereafter ”Brainard_”). Mrs. Nicole Brainard, St. Gabriel’s principal, was out of the office on September 9, 2014, but upon her return on September 10, 2014, she conducted her own investigation by talking to all three students. (Brainard 18-27). Notably, Mrs. Brainard did not attempt to find out if any other students witnessed the staring incident, and she was unable to confirm whether Mrs. Losekamp or Mrs. Watson did so, either. (Brainard 60). Nor did Mrs. Brainard investigate how long the interaction between Denzel and the female student lasted. (Brainard 22).
The two boys said that the female student was laughing throughout the staring game. The principal said in her deposition that the female student did not recall laughing. No teachers nor other adults witnessed the event. The female student never reported the incident to any teacher or the principal.
According to the court documents, Mrs. Tolbert’s son and the other boy were intimidated by two teachers into writing a letter of apology to the female student and to the principal.
Mrs. Tolbert’s son and the other male student were subsequently suspended for one day. Even if their actions merited punishment, it surely wasn’t suspension. The court documents laid out the type of punishments based on offense types according to the school’s handbook.
The Handbook contains a number of guidelines addressing discipline, including demerits, detention·s, in-school’ suspension, and out-of-school suspension:
- Demerits;· which accumulate by trimester, constitute the lowest level of discipline.
- Infractions such as fighting, truancy, stealing, and harassment or threatening behavior result in 5 demerits.
- When a student accumulates 10 demerits in one trimester, he receives a detention.
- When a student accumulates 20 demerits, he receives a ·second detention.
- 30 demerits result in a third detention, plus an in-school suspension.
- Further problems in a trimester “can lead to an out-of-school suspension”.
As of September 9, 2014, Denzel had no demerits. Yet, Denzel was issued the extreme penalty of an out-of-school suspension as punishment for participating in the staring game with the female student.
Most interestingly were other incidences confirmed in the principal’s deposition for more egregious acts that were unpunished or with no suspension. Specifically the same female student dumped a carton of milk over another student’s lunch because she was angry. The teacher in charge of the cafeteria and the principal simply spoke to the student and considered the act of aggression minor. In yet another noteworthy disciplinary incident, a St. Gabriel student threatened to kill a classmate, and he only received a lunchtime detention, loss of recess, and the equivalent of demerits.
After speaking to Candice Tolbert, the 12 year old black boy’s mother, it was evident that there was much more to this story. Mrs. Tolbert’s goal is simple. She wants the undeserved suspension wiped from her sons record. Why? Because she knows said suspension will potentially follow him and limit his acceptance into other schools.
The Tolbert family was forced to take legal action because the school refused to give her son due process. He was simply presumed a menace because after the fact the female student said she felt threatened.
Mrs. Tolbert made it clear that she would not have fought the suspension if it were congruous with her sons behavior or if it were comparable to punishments given to others for much greater offenses. The Tolbert family has spent tens of thousands of dollars in lawyer fees and other incidentals thus far. Mrs. Tolbert said that her family and her son will be fine. Their family has the means to fight for their son’s honor. She will not allow the system to destroy the future of her son even before he’s had the chance to build said future.
Ultimately she said she is not only fighting this battle for her son. She wants to ensure that this never happens again. While Mrs. Tolbert does not publicly want to make this a racial issue, one cannot escape all the inferences.
Many will use the suspension of the white boy as a pretext to remove race as a major factor for the punishment. It is naive to not understand that the cancer of racism accepts sacrificial lambs. Racism is an irrational disease. This incident is shouting it out loudly for those who can infer empathetically.
Mrs. Tolbert may be hesitant to call it what it is. She is hesitant even as many African American parents have approached her claiming discrimination at the school, a school they are all paying for. In fact she said several African Americans have pulled their kids out of the school. Mrs. Tolbert should not fear that many will accuse her of playing the race card. It is not her who has played that card.
Mrs. Tolbert’s son is fortunate to have parents who will fight to prevent him from being just another victim in the school to prison pipeline. This incident is characteristic of what happens to black boys throughout this country. Their record is tarnished and they are made damaged goods unable to advance.
St. Gabriel Consolidated School was contacted for this article to make a comment. They did not return the call.
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