A Black teen was forced to endure racist language from a fellow student who was reportedly not punished. On Oct. 20, the attorney, Ariel Lett, for the teen, shared what occurred during virtual learning at Miami Senior High, according to Local 10 News.
The 14-year-old Black student, who was identified as Jasmine, was the only Black student in the virtual class on that day. A White student, who has yet to be identified, reportedly intimidated Jasmine by calling her the N-word.
The White student used the racial slur 28 times and also typed the word in all-caps so that everyone in the Zoom meeting could view it. The teacher allowed the racist language to continue for nearly seven minutes before muting the student and dismissing the class.
After the incident, Jasmine told her mother, who called the school. The principal initially told Jasmine’s mother that he would need to determine the context of how the word was used. He would later apologize to Jasmine and her family, but the student who used the word has yet to be reprimanded.
Jasmine has since transferred to another school and her family is asking that the incident be addressed.
In a statement, Daisy Gonzalez-Diego, chief communications officer for the school district, said, “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. As such, the District continues to foster teaching and learning environments that embrace and celebrate the diversity of our students, workforce, and community. Although we cannot provide further comment due to potential litigation, our commitment to promoting racial equality and social justice has not wavered.”
