In January, a 5th-grade teacher at Margaret Neary Elementary School staged a mock slave auction during her history class. According to reports, the same teacher used the N-word while reading from a book to the students. Notably, the word wasn’t in the book that was read.

A student reported the teacher’s behavior. However, the teacher wasn’t pleased about being reported by the student, so after the incident, the teacher scolded the student. After finding out about the incident, the district superintendent apologized in a letter for the teacher’s act.

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In the superintendent’s apology letter to parents, he tried explaining the scenario that played out. The superintendent explained that the teacher created an image of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. For the explanation, the teacher asked two children sitting in the front row to stand.

The children picked by the teacher for the role of slaves were of a different race. After the children stood up, the teacher talked about their physical features, such as their teeth and strength. Many saw this as a mockery of the kids who are of color.

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The incident was reported to the superintendent of the Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough. After hearing the report, the superintendent explained that the teacher’s actions violated the values of Northborough and Southborough and were totally unacceptable.

After staging the mock slave auction in January, the teacher violated another rule in April. She read a book to her students during class and used the N-word.

Unfortunately, a student reported to the district superintendent that the word used by the teacher wasn’t written in the book. In response to the event, the superintendent mentioned that “Dehumanizing words such as slurs should not be spoken by employees or students.”

The superintendent added, “Using such words can harm students and negatively impact an open discussion on a particular topic.” Afterward, a meeting was held with the principal, teacher, and parents of the 5th-grade students in attendance.

During the meeting, they discussed the teacher’s racist act. The next day, the teacher called out the student for making the report, prompting the district superintendent to launch a formal investigation.

In May, the district superintendent placed the school teacher and the principal on leave. However, the school principal was placed on a 10-day paid leave from May 6-16. Currently, the investigation is ongoing even as the teacher is on leave.

According to the district superintendent, “all personnel matters will remain confidential.” The superintendent also apologized for the missteps in the process that made the situation complicated.

He also mentioned that he is responsible for ensuring the students have a safe and supportive learning environment. The district superintendent also apologized for the incident and promised to work on cultural competency.

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Some parents who spoke with WBZ said they were shocked when they heard about the class incident. One of the parents mentioned that the incident happened in January. However, they just found out late on May 30, and it was shocking to them.

Another parent said, “It was appalling to see that the principal stood by and didn’t take any action the second time the same teacher did that.” The parents also said that they were worried about their kids going to school and how the school would protect their kids from bullying and racism.

In March, six middle school students were charged for engaging in hateful and racist online chat. According to the Hampden District Attorney, the state authorities are working towards placing criminal charges on these students for starting up a racist chat online that included threats and a mock slave auction.

Six of these students were also charged with threatening to commit a crime, and some were suspended from school.

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