http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/28/big-bear-school-soccer-shirt-racism-investigation/?test=latestnews

When Coral Avilez went to school on June 11, the seventh-grader knew two things: She would get to watch Mexico play South Africa on TV that day, and she would get to wear the Mexico shirt she had bought while on vacation earlier in the year.

What the 12-year-old didn’t know was that the shirt would touch off an incident that would send her fleeing from class and spark an investigation into racial animosity.

The game was already on when Coral walked into performing arts class at Big Bear Middle School in Big Bear, Calif. As she sat and watched, her teacher saw her shirt emblazoned with the Mexican colors and, in front of the entire class, asked if she supported Mexico, according to Leroy Martinez, the vice president of the local League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

According to Martinez, Coral thought she was being asked a soccer question, and answered yes.

“Then what are you doing in my country?” the teacher asked, according to Martinez.

Stunned, the American-born student asked, “Why?”

“Because people like you make me pay higher taxes and make my insurance rate go up,” the teacher replied, according to Martinez.

Confused and hurt, Coral then ran out of the class crying.

But that wasn’t the end of it, Martinez said.

When Coral’s mother showed up to take the girl home, he said, she was told she would have to wait. Coral was being questioned about the incident by a group of school officials, including the teacher who allegedly made the remarks, and had to sign a paper before her mother could take her home.

On Monday she asked not to go back to class, and she was given two choices: sit in the principal’s office and read a book,or pick up trash with the janitor. Martinez said Coral felt uncomfortable in the principal’s office, and she opted to picked up trash.

Tim Larson, the school board’s director of personnel, was assigned to investigate the incident. The superintendent’s office said that he was the only one authorized to speak about the matter. He did not return a call left with his secretary, who said he was doing interviews.

Now the girl and her mother, supported by local civil rights groups, are asking that the teacher’s conduct be investigated for possible disciplinary action. The teacher later apologized to the class, according to local newspapers.

“The school has agreed, and we will meet with the superintendent this week to make sure that the investigation doesn’t drag on,” Martinez said. He said that there had been similar incidents in the area but this was the first time someone had come forward to complain. He said kids were usually intimidated by the teachers and afraid of repercussions if they asked for help.

Lizette J. Olmos, communications director of national LULAC office, said that the case was important not only because it showed racial animosity against the student but because of the rising tide nationally of hate crimes.

kam77 wrote:The only thing that I would say the kid did wrong is asking not to go into class on monday. If that was my kid i'd want to see her try to face issues head on rather than avoid them.

if that was my kid i'd go down to her school myself & demand that teacher be fired

kam77 wrote:The only thing that I would say the kid did wrong is asking not to go into class on monday. If that was my kid i'd want to see her try to face issues head on rather than avoid them.

Hard for a little girl to appreciate that way of thinking. I also wonder about the ethnic make-up in the school and the community, and whether this had something to do with her desire to stay out of the class on that Monday. I know that where I teach, a Queens HS school with a significant Latino population, other kids would have actually said something if a teacher had made a crack like that, and the insulted child would probably feed off that support and show the kind of fortitude you are talking about. Perhaps the girl does not feel she has support from her fellow students.

I've been teaching for 23 years and it is hard to believe that a teacher acted this way toward a 12 yr. old child. Immigration, and especially illegal immigration, is a flashpoint issue in the U.S., but to go after a little girl in such a manner is inexcusable.

Nalod wrote:

TMS wrote:just because there was no violence doesn't mean there wasn't serious harm done to the little girl's psyche, self confidence & self image... teachers should know better, i don't care how awesome of a teacher this individual is, there's no excuse for this sort of thing in today's world in our society... we should be teaching tolerance of differing ethnicities & cultures in our schools, not harboring ignorant racist attitudes & views & imparting them in the classroom for young impressionable kids to pick up on & emulate.

I'm suggesting nothing be done. teachers are people not saints. of course they should do better. the administration was awful if not worse. The likely didn't know how to handle it.

You can make laws against racism but it's the life experience do you learn. Teachers are frustrated because they are evaluated on performance and in some towns you do have stessed schools over run by Spanish only illiterate children who are thrust into there class which hampers the whole class? And schools with lower funds have to teach and feed these children by law. It's easy to judge but yeah, it's wrong and the teacher blew here cool on a non-Mexican girl wearing a shirt she got on vacation. She'll be ok.

so by doing nothing in essence you are condoning this type of behavior from this teacher to her students... that's just as bad as the act itself.

sorry, but u just can't trivialize this event & assume this 12 yo girl will be ok... things like this can cause permanent scars on a person's psyche, however small they may be... i don't care if this happened in a rural school out in the middle of Alabama where the minority population is almost nil, you cannot foster this kind of attitude in our educators... what kids learn at home from their parents is one thing, but i pay taxes too as do millions & millions of minorities in this country & we don't pay them to fund these kinds of racist views from proliferating out of our education system.

Im really just saying I think the Admin messed this up and don't know what to do. This teacher needs to be removed at once and the School board needs to review its policy and subsequent action.

The school year is up so the summer can be used to review it all.

This Teacher needs to either go thru training and education and be reassigned with a really sincere apology on her way out.

If there has been any infraction by this teacher before in this vein then she should be fired with cause.

I beleive in reforming to achieve deeper understanding. No crime was commited and nor was any Latino directly involved.

This teacher was very out of line and her worst crime is being a total ******* bitch.

World Cup Viewer Hector Castro Kills 2-Year-Old for Crying During Match, Say Cops
McALLEN, Texas (CBS/AP) Hector Castro, a 27-year-old McAllen, Texas man, is charged with capital murder for fatally beating his 2-year-old stepdaughter, when she wouldn't stop crying as he watched a World Cup game.
PICTURES: Soccer Crimes and Scandals

McAllen Police Sgt. Joel Morales says Castro was charged Monday after his Saturday arrest. The 27-year-old Texas man is being held on $1 million bond at the Hidalgo County jail.

Police Chief Victor Rodriguez says Castro told investigators the toddler wouldn't stop crying while he was trying to watch the U.S.-Ghana matchup Saturday.

Rodriguez says the child was severely beaten and suffered several broken ribs.

Police also say a screw or bolt was forced down her throat in an apparent attempt to make it look like she choked to death.