Supporters Call For Brentwood Teacher Accused Of Racist Remarks To Be Reinstated
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Parents and students gathered Monday outside a middle school in Brentwood to demand the return of a teacher who is accused in a lawsuit of making racially charged remarks in class.
KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports history teacher Steven Carnine is under fire in a suit that says he used racial epithets at Paul Revere Charter Middle School.
The lawsuit filed last week by a parent of a mixed-race student alleges civil rights violations and seeks unspecified damages as well as a court order directing that the LAUSD provide accommodations to students "free from prohibited discrimination."
Marching outside the school, supporters said his comments were taken out of context during a discussion of stereotypes.
"My child was one of the 36 students in the class at the time when these accusations were made, and they are all false," said one mother.
"One of the greatest teachers in the LAUSD has been unfairly maligned," another parent said.
An online petition has also begun circulating to "Save Mr. Carnine!".
The girl's father complained twice to officials after, according to the lawsuit, Carnine handed out a questionnaire that asked about racial stereotypes, on Jan. 16, the day after the birthday of slain civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
During a follow-up discussion, Carnine brought up the shooting of Michael Brown by former officer Darren Wilson.
"In discussing the incident, Carnine said that the guy was a thug and he got what he deserved," according to the suit, which alleges the
teacher also said: "Black people are judged for not being smart because they are not smart. A lot of them are just athletes."
Carnine went on to say that if he was walking alone at night and there were two black men behind him, he was "immediately going to be scared and think they are either going to steal from me or hurt me," the lawsuit alleges.
It wasn't immediately known when school officials would complete their investigation.
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