12-Year-Old Black Student Gets Suspended For Staring At White Female Student

Racism definitely still plays a big part in the school system today. According to Fox 19 and CBS 12 news, a 12-year-old black male engaging in a starring contest with a fellow white female student was suspended. The incident took place back in September of 2014 at St. Gabriel Consolidated School in Glendale, Ohio. The 12-year-old, along with another student were playing a game with a girl by staring and laughing together. The girl reportedly participated and also began to laugh and giggle.

Later that day, the girl later told her parents that she felt “threatened” by the boy. School officials immediately took action. The young black student was forced to write an apology to the school and the female student. However, the boy was then suspended and the school didn’t notify his parents until two days after the incident.

After the suspension, his parents spoke out. Candice Tolbert (Mother) filed a lawsuit against St. Gabriel Consolidated School after her 12-year-old son and another student were suspended for one day after playing a staring game with a white student. Tolbert said she decided to sue after the school refused to discuss the punishment with her or allow her to appeal.  But the Hamilton County court ruled against the boy and upheld the suspension because of “the perception” that he intimidated the student.

“I had no choice but to go to the legal system to try to resolve this issue and try to lift this suspension off of my son’s record,” Tolbert said. Tolbert also reported that her son assured her that he thought they were only playing a game, “I thought we were playing. I did not mean to intimidate her,’ he said.

“These kids play the staring game. He stared at her, she began to laugh and giggle. She took a step back, he took a step forward she’s laughing and giggling. She took another step back, he took a step forward, she’s laughing and giggling until she finally says ‘stop’ and my son walked away when she said ‘stop,'” the mother stated.  It is reported from CBS 12 that Tolbert believed the punishment was extreme, because the student handbook gave the principal the option to give her son demerits and the suspension was for more serious offenses.

Unfortunately, there are so many similar situations like this that happen in today’s school system. I believe the situation was in fact bias and handled completely wrong. Kids are going to be kids. They are going to play around with each other, but that doesn’t give them the right to get suspended. In my opinion, this is just another case of stereotyping and being unlawful.

Although Tolbert thinks the incident is not racial, she said she’s concerned that a suspension will permanently damage her son’s academic record and could be detrimental to his future.

“This may not change, we may not be able to get this off our son’s record, but we don’t want this to happen to another child,” Tolbert said.

CBS 12 also reported that The Tolberts have not decided whether they will appeal the ruling by Hamilton County Court that upheld the suspension. But they said they are leaning toward appealing.

What are you thoughts on this situation? Do you think this is a racial matter?

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