Lawsuit Claims Black Girl Forced to Use Separate Bathroom Due to Race

[The Straight Story]

Lawsuit Claims Black Girl Forced to Use Separate Bathroom Due to Race

By Monica Lewis
BlackAmericaWeb.com

A little less than two weeks before Christmas, Euniecia Snyder filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, Michigan claiming that her daughter was subjected to discriminatory practices and racial taunts. In the complaint, Snyder, filing on behalf of her daughter Realite Peebles, said the girl was forced by school administrators to use a separate bathroom and was repeatedly teased by fellow classmates because of her race.

Realite, who was a third-grade student during the 2004-2005 school year, was the only black student the Frankfort-Elberta Public School System’s lone elementary school. She was one of only four black students in the entire district, which has approximately 600 students.

According to an Associated Press report, Snyder said she was told Realite had to use a separate bathroom to make other students feel more comfortable. She also claims that school administrators failed to protect Realite from taunts and threats brought forward by her white classmates.

District Superintendent Thomas J. Stobie and elementary principal Jeff Tousley are listed as defendants in the claim, along with the district and its seven-member board of education. Stobie said that allegations in the suit, which claim civil rights abuses and intentional infliction of distress, are totally false.

http://www.cfadvocate.com/props/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=799&format=html

[rodeodance]

1. my gawd!

.....According to an Associated Press report, Snyder said she was told Realite had to use a separate bathroom to make other students feel more comfortable.

[mirandapriestly]

2. They probably think they can get away with it in the current environment

This quote from the article reminds me of a lot that is going on now:

"Snyder, who now lives in neighboring Grand Traverse County, has also stated that she was told she should remain quiet about the alleged discriminatory acts if she wanted her family to be accepted in Frankfort, which lies within Benzie County."

[malaise]

3. These racist fuggers have some nerve n/t

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. geez!

This is horrible! I can't imagine any teacher allowing this to happen.

[Yollam]

6. If it's true, it's horrible.

We have no way to know whether the complaints are true or not. That's what the courts are for.

If it's true, let's hope the people responsible are punished. If not, I hope the case is thrown out.

To automatically believe or disbelieve accusations made by someone just because they are a given color or gender is never wise.

Remember the innocent blacks accused of rape in the south? Tawana Brawley?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. That is correct,

but I would assume that there was something behind this suit or it would have been thrown out.

[Yollam]

11. My personal feeling is that it's probably true...

...but that's based on little more than intuition, and could very easily be wrong.

Time will tell.

[MountainLaurel]

8. Why is it hard to imagine?

Teachers are quite fallible too, and the bad ones bring their own hatred to the classroom. Think of the lawsuits over the past few years about Jewish, Pagan, Muslim children who were harassed while teachers looked on, or by the teachers themselves. Or teachers who stood by while a girl was being groped and threatened by the class bully.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. Guess I'm just remembering when I was a teacher

One year I found out my kids were teasing the special needs kids on the playground. I herded the entire class back inside, and then laid it on the line for them--how destructive teasing is, how those kids were born the way they were, that they would love to be "normal", etc. etc. I had the kids in tears before I was done. The next recess they went by and started playing with the kids, and kept befriending them the rest of the year. This was back in the late 80s. Sorry, but if I could do that then, teachers could do it now.

[MountainLaurel]

14. What a wonderful teacher you were

But not all are so wonderful or care about their students (particularly those who are different in some way). It's been that way forever, and isn't likely to change soon.

[KamaAina]

5. Funny, I never knew Michigan was in the South (sarcasm)

'cause we all know that this kind of evil, rotten bigotry never, ever happens way up in the enlightened North, right? :sarcasm:

Is there any chance these administrators might end up in prison? Say, in the general population? :spank:

[ieoeja]

12. The Democrats "Southern Strategy"

Since southern DUers keep telling us that southerners will not vote for anyone who is not southern -- then wonder why the south gets more negative comments here than does the west -- maybe the Democrats are hoping enough stories like this will erase the hatred southerners have for the north.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Of Course It Is

That's in the southern half of the state. It must be a whole "south" thing!
The Professor

[Catherine Vincent]

7. That's why I couldn't live in the South...

oops!

[sweetheart]

15. my elementary school had a token black

As the school, John L. Webster elementary, is in malibu by pepperdine, the only
black kid was "flip wilson's" son, kevin. He was abused less out of racism and
more out of ignorance on reflection. I actually think his treatment was worse than
what is described in this article as i recall the taunts even now some 4 decades
later.... when you put 1 black kid with a bunch of white kids who don't know much
about races, ignorance and negligence alone can spark some serious racism.

This story could happen anywhere in the US. It is the fact in a culture that is
so racially divided, that young, very ignorant children, would be open to any number
of influencing authorities amongst hidden racist parents. Then it is the parents
that are responsible, not a school where their kids went to abuse a kid.