Family members of a girl who says she has endured racist verbal assaults by other students because of her race said the suburban St. Louis school has done nothing to protect her from the racial slurs.
The Wentzville, Missouri, school district has a history of saying it is committed to diversity but has not moved to protect those vulnerable to bigoted attacks, the family says.
The victim’s mom, Laesha Moore, said her daughter had to “put in her headphones to try to drown” out the racial slurs while in school and even during her school bus ride to campus, which has prompted the mother of the Timberland High School senior to take action.
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“My job as a parent is to protect my kids,” Moore said, adding, “It’s nerve-wrenching, it is heartbreaking, it’s disturbing, and I’m tired of it,” according to KMOV.
The student’s aunt, Tamara King, said her niece was called the N-word several times a week.
“My niece gets on the bus, and she hears the words ‘I hate N-words,’” King said. “Her very first day riding the school bus, the first thing she hears is, ‘Oh my God. Here comes another colored person.’ Do you know how hard that was for her?”
The sisters, Moore and King, believe the district had an obligation to protect the student and has failed to do so. According to them, officials have not communicated with them about the repeated incidents of racism targeting the young lady, and to their knowledge, none of the perpetrators have been expelled from school, which is roughly 85 percent white.
“There was a young lady at homecoming who was called the N-word left and right at the high school,” King remarked, asserting that their relative’s trauma is not stand-alone.
As a result, on Monday, Oct. 2, they sent a letter to the board and other administrators to address their concerns.
The Wentzville School District released a statement insisting that they are “committed to fostering an environment free from harassment and discrimination.
“Racism is not tolerated in our schools,” the district stated. “Any action that does not align with that commitment is met with a thorough investigation and appropriate disciplinary measures in alignment with District policy.”
WSD stated that they “welcome” both parents and students to report incidents that come up where they feel their civil rights have been violated.
“By reporting concerns, we can promptly assist and protect our students,” the statement concluded.
This is not the first time the district has wrestled with allegations of racism or bigotry.
Two years ago, a petition was launched to remove a WSD school board member for making racist comments on social media in 2020, KSDK reported.
Sandy Garber, a WSD board member, wrote comments on social media that were called out by a student in his school newspaper.
One tweet captured on Change.org said, “REALLY …. BLACK LIVES MATTER??? The real truth is that black lives only matter if a WHITE person text the wife of someone who is BLACK!!! Black-on-black doesn’t count…. that doesn’t fit The Narrative of the left-wing Looney Tunes. Everything that is going on and are beloved.”
Similarly, as they responded to Moore and King, the district released a statement expressing its commitment to diversity.
The petition to have Garber removed was signed by over 11,000 people, however, she was not. She was allowed to remain on the board until her term ended in 2022 and did not run in 2023 to keep her seat.
