Investigations by school officials and law enforcement have been launched after a Black teenager was subjected to racist bullying by his classmates in Connecticut.
According to Atlanta Black Star, students at Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School allegedly sent the Black teen hundreds of racist messages, photos, and videos. One Snapchat group called "Ku Klux Klan" included hateful messages and photos of the boy's face with racial epithets.
In one instance, a student allegedly took a picture of his peer as he got on the bus, captioning it “This dumb— n— got on my bus.”
“I don’t like this guy for his color,” another person said.
The harassment allegedly started after slavery was discussed in the classroom during Black History Month.
“Some people said the N-word to my face directly in school,” the teen said. “No teachers heard because … they weren’t paying attention to us directly.”
The teen's peers allegedly added him to racist Snapchat groups and directly sent him monkey pictures.
“Hey n—. U should be in the monkey exhibit. U mom should too," one student allegedly wrote.
"I didn’t see you there n—. Want to go clean my lawn for me? Oh wait, I’m going to whip you first,” another student said.
The boy's father found the messages while checking his phone and reported the activity to school officials. The father ultimately decided to withdraw his son from school and have him complete the rest of the year online.
“They had no steps in place for him to go back to school to be safe,” the teen’s father said. “They just wanted to throw him back in school with these kids.”
The school district launched an investigation in May and concluded that their was no wrongdoing, according to the boy's parents.
Connecticut State Police are still investigating the racist messages. However, the family claims they haven't received an update on the investigation or any communication from school district officials on disciplinary actions taken against the students involved.
“I expect it, to be blatantly honest. The system is not designed for Black people,” the boy’s father said. “I can’t say I’m shocked. It’s more disappointment and hurt that in 2024, people would still think that it’s OK.”
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