Emanyea Lockett, a fourth grader at Brookside Elementary School did not direct the comment to an adult, but was talking to one of his friends when a substitute teacher heard him and reported it to the school’s principal, Jerry Bostic.
Bostic decided Lockett’s words constituted “sexual harassment,” and determined the appropriate punishment for the crime was a three-day suspension from school.
Many Internet comments and commentaries on this story have mentioned the 1955 death of Emmit Till, a 14-year-old boy who whistled under his breath at a white woman, and was killed for it. Though Lockett’s suspension cannot be equated with Till’s brutal murder, the comparison is likely being drawn because the man who punished Lockett was white. The race of the teacher Emanyea was commenting about has not been mentioned.
School officials investigated the incident and found that Emanyea had done nothing wrong. They issued a statement that read:
“After a thorough investigation by school officials involving the suspension of a fourth grade student at one of our elementary schools, it has been determined there was no sexual harassment.
We regret this situation happened. The superintendent has attempted to contact the family to offer an apology to the parents and student. The school system is also sending an official letter of apology to the parents and student.
The suspension will not count against the student and additional instructional assistance will be provided to the student for the classroom time missed …”
Bostic, who was in his 44th year with Gaston County Schools, his 35th year as an administrator, and his 15th year as principal at Brookside, was told by a district official to “quit or be fired.”
He retired.
Bostic believes the decision to dismiss him was, “politics,” saying “I admit I made some errors in what I did, but to fire me or to demote me with 44 years in, just doesn’t make sense … I really don’t believe I was treated fairly.”
Perhaps the punishment Bostic received from his superiors was heavy-handed, but one thing’s for sure, he now knows what it feels like to have someone in power give you a punishment that doesn’t feel fair given the “mistake” you made.
Perhaps they should have let little Emanyea sit at Bostic’s desk and hand his principal a three-day suspension.
Kudos to the district administrators for determining that a young boy’s use of the word “cute” to describe his teacher does not constitute “sexual harrassment.” –kathleen cross
