A Black family is taking legal action after accusing a teacher of sending their mixed-race son a package containing an afro wig and white face paint, per The Daily Beast.
Denise and Kevin Anderson filed a racial harassment complaint last week against the Warren Township School District in New Jersey. According to the July 6 filing, their 7-year-old son's appearance "easily identifies him as a member of the mixed-race community" since the mother is an Afro-Latina and the father is white.
The student, identified only as "J.A.," got an unsolicited package with no sender information from Amazon on July 9, 2021, the lawsuit said. After contacting Amazon's customer service, the mother determined her son's second-grade teacher Christine Rzasa possibly sent the package, the complaint reads. The filing also states that J.A. had a remote class during the 2020-2021 school year at Woodland School, meaning the administrators had access to students' addresses.
When the parents brought this matter up to Woodland School Principal Jeff Heaney and the district board, they claim nothing was done. On top of that, they allege school officials retaliated against their son in a "hostile education environment."
The complaint also said the boy suffered humiliation as well as "emotional and mental damages" from the incident. He has since changed schools and goes to therapy, according to the suit.
“Rzasa’s conduct can be described as nothing short of outrageous," the document reads, adding that the school failed to conduct an investigation.
The complaint names Rzasa, Learney, the school, the district, and the district board as defendants. The family is seeking monetary compensation and sensitivity training for Woodland teachers.
Warren Township School District denied the accusations in a statement to reporters, but also "rejects hate and racism in all forms."
“The Board of Education and the individual employees deny the allegations in the Complaint and intend to vigorously defend the case,” communications coordinator Shannon Regan said. “At all relevant times, the Board of Education’s primary concern is the education and well-being of its students.”
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