Parents Sue School Over Teacher's Remarks

The State (SC) ^ | 11/18/02 | Chuck Crumbo

[Nonstatist]

The parents wanted the teacher fired. Nothing less than that would have been acceptable, and probably that wouldn't have been sufficient if the kid's self esteem remained depressed. . Definitely lose-lose for the school. Its now up to a below-average intelligence jury pool to sort this out.

[KneelBeforeZod]

"what did you call me????"

[mommybain]

It isn't difficult, is it? We (NC, that is) also had the kindergartener (boy) who was charged with sexual harrassment for kissing a little girl on the playground a while back. It's pitiful.

[Tired of Taxes]

Our sons are "biracial", too. They're still very young, but even the soon-to-be-seven-year-old knows almost nothing about racial differences. Yet, if someone referred to them in terms of "race", I would just explain it to them. An in-law once gave great advice: He and his wife would tease their biracial children by calling them names in a joking but loving manner, so that, later, when children called them names, they just laughed. That's not something we would do, but parents allowing this incident to get them so upset just teaches the child to be oversensitive.

[NewHampshireDuo]

"I knew since the day Nick was born that there was going to be some kind of racial incident," Dennis Hurshman said. "But I never expected it to occur in a Catholic classroom."

It sounds to me like this father was bound and determined that somewhere, someone, at sometime was going to be a racist and spent 14 years waiting for the "incident" to happen. Almost like willing it into existance so he could point his finger and scream discrimination. Wonder what kind of $$ their asking for in their lawsuit....

[KneelBeforeZod]

My buddy who was born in Korea was adopted by a "white" family. His mom was actually born in Germany. He is a captain in the Marines and an all round "American." He was at a local grocery store and got carded for the beer he was getting...he's 30. The Mexican checker said "wow! It must be all that rice you eat." Not as an insult or a joke. Just a moron who was legitimately amazed. My friend was able to see it for what it was, just some ig'nent clock puncher.

This is the same store that the NAACP started looking into last week when a black woman complained about something, asked for a manager and the clerk said something about blacks loud enough for the manager and the customer to hear. sounds like they have a lot of idiots working there.

[Drew68]

In the 18th and 19th century, European anthropologists used "Negroid" as part of a system of human racial classification.

They still do. I took a forensic anthropology course at Colorado State University in the mid 1990s. The textbook that was used for bone identification listed the three distinct types of skulls as "Negroid," "Mongoloid" and "Caucasoid."

[Paul Atreides]

If his friends since kindergarten didn't come to the party because of the use of that word, they must not have been very good friends. Also, since when do kids that age care what the teacher has to say?

[joebuck]

"Aselage said the diocese attempted in "good faith, in every way humanly possible, to listen, investigate and resolve this matter." But April Sampson, the Hurshmans' attorney, said she called diocesan attorneys five times and sent four letters seeking to mediate the dispute, but never got a response."

What was there to mediate? A teacher made an insensitive remark in good faith and intended no offense. The schoold investigated, probably told the teacher to be more careful in the future, and apologised. Case closed. There was nothing else to mediate by the school - the family just thought they were entitled to money for nothing. And if this caused the kid the problems the parents are alleging, then he's got a lot more probems than can be caused by an unfortunate remark by a teacher.

[pabianice]

I'll bet the teacher who said this is getting used to the word *sshole".

[goose1]

I agree and at the age of 14 for him to go home crying must be a real mama`s boy.

[lepton]

If his friends since kindergarten didn't come to the party because of the use of that word, they must not have been very good friends. Also, since when do kids that age care what the teacher has to say?

Is that why? Or because his parents had sued their school?

[stainlessbanner]

Mongolians everywhere are offended!

[Paul Atreides]

Also, I stopped having birthday parties a long time before I reached 14.

[cynicom]

Next time someone says bad things about the French, I am gonna sue.

[ZinGirl]

The primary issue here is racial insensitivity and violation of civil rights,

I disagree. The primary issue is that mommy & daddy are suing because baby boy got his feelings hurt. If that's the worst thing that happens to him in his life, he's getting off pretty easy.

[nanny]

[Not as an insult or a joke. Just a moron who was legitimately amazed. My friend was able to see it for what it was, just some ig'nent clock puncher]

Why is he a moron? Well, the only reason I can see is that he didn't really think anyone would be silly enough to take it as any kind of an insult. When are we going to be able to laugh again in this country? There was time we could joke with each other about our differences and no one was hurt - it was just fun.

I heard one Asian woman on TV complaining because someone said she looked like a china doll. Well, she did - she was exquisitely beautiful - although extremely stupd.

[Old Professer]

If memory serves (and it fails occasionally as I'm a doltoid as I age), when two races (or in the case of other animals than humans) conceive an offspring, the offspring is often privy to the strongest genetic traits of both!

Well then, by your theory, young Nick should grow up to be a world-class architect/construction magnate with multiple PHD's who dabbles in forensic political science while being totally devoid of a sense of humor.

[Lurker]

You're going to be mighty busy!

L