An 8-year-old Tucson, Arizona, boy was subjected to racial taunts about his skin color and was called a dirty n-word in a series of bullying incidents. Now, his mother is speaking out and demanding that the Tucson Unified School District stop the harassment.
Last week, Sue N’Goran confronted elementary officials at a Tuesday, Nov. 15 school board meeting over the racialized incidents that, in one instance, sent her son to the hospital.
During an exclusive with Arizona’s ABC 13 News, N’Goran shares that her son’s self-esteem has been impacted greatly because of the constant bullying.
“He’s been bullied by these children. … Saying that he’s brown only because he’s so dirty that he can’t get cleaned,” N’Goran tells reporters, her voice breaking near the end. “He’ll sit in the bathroom and scrub his skin trying to get the brown off of him. And asking me, ‘Why did you make me brown if you know I was going to get bullied?'”
At the school board meeting, the distraught mother told officials and parents in attendance about the incidents. And officials promised N’Goran that they would take care of the matter, but they did not. Instead, in less than 24 hours, the school district took legal action against HER. She said she met with the school principal last week and was made aware that she and her son were banned from the district.
School officials claimed the woman made up the instances where her son was hit in the head, called names and spit on because of his race. N’Goran said campus security called her after the meeting to tell her that she was no longer allowed on school property.
“I’m serving you over the phone. You are not to step foot on TUSD property, the school or the district ever again in your life or your son. If you do you will be arrested,” N’Goran said the school security guard told her.
N’Goran was charged with interference with an educational institution, according to sister outlet ABC 15. In a statement regarding the recent ban, the school district claims the woman made threats to staff. “We cannot comment on any particular incident due to privacy laws. In general, I can say that campus safety is our highest priority. Any person who threatens students or staff or presents a concern with the rights of others is not allowed on campus via board policy,” the statement read.
N’Goran told ABC 13 that she never made threats and that she will be attending the next school board meeting to plead her case. “Never have I made a threat to anyone regardless on school campus or off. That has never happened,” N’Goran said.
