WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida high school student said what happened in the virtual classroom left her shocked, as she was on the receiving end of a racial rant from one of her classmates.
According to Jasmine, who is a freshman at Miami Senior High School, what made matters worse is that she got no support from her teacher.
“Kept on seeing something pop up on the Zoom, so I look, and then, it’s like N-word — hard R — in all caps,” she said. “Then, I click on the chat, I open it and then, it’s like spammed all through, and then, it’s like ‘Unmute me ugly B-word.’”
The 14-year-old relived the moment she said she was hit with hate while learning online in her own home.
During a law class on Sept. 24, another student went on a racist rant, repeatedly typing racial slurs, which left the teenager, the only Black student in the class, stunned.
“I was like, “Oh my goodness, let me take a picture so I can show my mom,'” Jasmine said.
Her mother, Nicole Crooks, said what happened next only added insult to injury. She said she didn’t hear anything from the teacher at first, and when she went to the school to meet with the principal, she said his behavior was rude.
“I was shocked. I was shocked,” she said. “The way that he came out and spoke to me was rude, to say the least. Not once did he ask my daughter if she was OK. Not once did he ask how she was feeling. Not once did they say ‘You know what? That is not acceptable behavior here.’”
Jasmine was so uncomfortable with the situation, her mother transferred her to a different high school.
The family said they were told the student was disciplined, but they said that is not good enough. They added that the teacher didn’t do enough when the racial slurs popped up on the screen and she should be punished.
“I didn’t know how to feel because I was like, ‘Did this just really happen? Am I imagining this?’” Jasmine said.
“It’s being swept up underneath the rug,” Crooks said. “It’s not being addressed the way that it needs to.”
They have hired an attorney and are calling on the district to release the recording of the Zoom call. They are also calling to change the policy for when students encounter racism in the classroom.
The family said they have already sent a letter, and if they don’t like the response, they may take their complaints to court.
“We need to see some change, and we need to see some change in that school in particular, and I think within the entire administration and the Miami-Dade school district,” said attorney Ariel Lett.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools released a statement about the incident, which read, in part, “Miami-Dade County Public Schools is obviously disheartened to learn about this incident as we strongly believe that every child should feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. Although we cannot provide further comment due to potential litigation, our commitment to promoting racial equality and social justice has not wavered.”
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