Latest news with #Stoudamire-Phillips
Newsweek
02-05-2025
- Newsweek
Black Boy Called Racial Slur at School, Gets Expelled After Parents Complain
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Black boy who reported being called a racial slur on the playground was expelled from a Catholic school in Portland after his parents complained to the principal. Mike Phillips and Karis Stoudamire-Phillips told The Oregonian that Tresa Rast, the principal of the Madeleine School, summoned police to the school's campus in late March after they demanded to know what actions the school would take after their son said he was called the N-word by another student. Days later, the school expelled their fourth grader, saying the couple had violated the school's code of conduct for parents. Rast has been placed on leave, the school told families on Wednesday. Newsweek has contacted the school via email and Phillips and Stoudamire-Phillips, via an email to their attorney, for further comment. A stock photo of a classroom. A stock photo of a classroom. iStock The Context Rast is on leave following a firestorm over her handling of the incident. Thousands have signed an online petition calling for the school to apologize and take accountability. According to the petition, many others "have come forward to share similar stories of the school's failure to take racism seriously and provide a welcoming environment for all students." What To Know Stoudamire-Phillips told The Oregonian that she and her husband had rushed to the school after getting a call from the school's secretary, who said her son had heard another student call him the slur as he headed back into the school after recess. The couple went to speak with Rast, and the conversation became heated, Stoudamire-Phillips said. She also mentioned that they had been unhappy about how Rast had handled a previous racial incident involving their older son, who graduated from the school last year. Stoudamire-Phillips said Rast asked her and her husband to leave her office, but they refused because they wanted clarity on a plan of action. Rast then called 911, requesting that officers come to the school. A report from the Portland Police Bureau said officers were called because of "parents yelling at the employees and refusing to leave," The Oregonian reported. Phillips said he went to wait outside for the police to arrive, wanting to show that he was unarmed and calm. Rast told the police the matter was under control and that the officers could leave, the newspaper reported. Stoudamire-Phillips said she received a call from the school informing her that all involved students had denied using the slur. She emailed Rast and Reverend Bonaventure Rummell, the parish priest overseeing the school, writing that the principal had fostered a culture where "both overt and subtle racism are allowed and even encouraged." Stoudamire-Phillips added that it was "simply ludicrous to insinuate that one of the only Black boys in the entire Madeleine school would inflict such trauma on himself and lie [about the slur]." The following day, the family received an email from Rummell expelling their son. "It has become clear that the relationship of trust and confidence that is necessary for a collaborative partnership between parent and school officials for the good of your child no longer exists," Rummell wrote, according to The Oregonian. "Our partnership is hereby immediately terminated as of the end of the day, April 3." The incident sparked outrage, with some 50 parents signing a letter to Rummell asking him to reinstate the boy and overhaul internal policies and practices governing the school's response to racist incidents. The letter did not call for Rast to resign but accused her of committing "an act of violence and overt racism" by calling the police. The Oregonian reported that several families did not plan to reenroll their children next year or had already pulled their children out of the school, including the family of a student who also reported hearing the slur. That student's father told the newspaper that Rast told him and his wife that she suspected their son had made up the entire incident and recommended he see a therapist to be "deprogrammed" from the anti-racist training he received while previously attending public school. What People Are Saying Mike Phillips told The Oregonian: "You're calling the cops on me and kicking out my son because of what he heard? My family is the victim in this. There is no cross you can hide behind." Reverend Bonaventure Rummell told the newspaper he was unable to discuss the incident, citing privacy concerns. He provided an email he sent to families on April 23, which said: "The Madeleine School remains committed to building its community based on love, understanding, and respect for the dignity of all people as modeled by Jesus Christ. This specifically includes providing a safe environment for all staff and students that is free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying." What Happens Next The family is seeking a public apology, the dismissal of the principal and an independent investigation into the school's handling of their son's complaint. They also want the school to adopt anti-racist policies to address any future incidents and mandatory anti-racism training for all administrators, staff and families. They have hired a lawyer but said they hope the school will make changes so they can avoid taking legal action.
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Anti-woke Catholic school torn apart after Portland DEI executive makes shocking allegations against principal
An anti-woke Portland Catholic school has been torn apart after a DEI executive accused its principal of mishandling an alleged racist incident involving her son. Moda Health's DEI boss Karis Stoudamire-Phillips and her husband, renowned jazz musician Mike Phillips, say their son was expelled from The Madeleine School after they complained that he was called the n-word by another student. The Stoudamire-Phillips, prominent members of Portland's black community, say the school's principal, Tresa Rast, called the police on them when they went to the school to demand something be done to protect their son last month. Stoudamire-Phillip acknowledged the conversation became 'heated' given the nature of the allegations, with cops being called after she and her husband allegedly refused to leave the school. 'I told [Rast], you do understand that I don't have confidence in you, based on my previous experiences with you,' Stoudamire-Phillips recalled to Oregon Live. 'And she told me, "Well, if you don't trust me, why have [your child] at this school?"' The principal then asked the parents to leave. When they said they would not and had more questions, the principal called 911 with claims of 'parents yelling at the employees and refusing to leave.' Phillip said that he exited the building before police arrived to make it clear he was unarmed and calm. When police arrived, principal Rast told them everything was under control, but Phillip said calling 911 was an act of 'violence' against her. 'You have to understand that a black man having the cops called on him is a totally different implication,' Phillips said. 'It's a complete abuse of power, a "Look what I have over you."' Days after the tense meeting, the Stoudamire-Phillips say they were informed the school would not do anything about their son's claim because the accused students had denied using the slur. Stoudamire-Phillips replied with an angry email, saying: 'It is simply ludicrous to insinuate that one of the only Black boys in the entire Madeleine school would inflict such trauma on himself and lie [about the racist epithet].' A day later, the parents were informed their son had been expelled from the school. 'It has become clear that the relationship of trust and confidence that is necessary for a collaborative partnership between parent and school officials for the good of your child no longer exists,' an email sent to them read. The parents say they had prior issues with the school and their older son, and were unsatisfied with how the principal dealt with it. But because the older son wanted to stay at the school, she and her husband decided to continue volunteering to 'help improve the school's racial equity and social justice policies.' The exec had done similar work in her role on the board of directors at De La Salle North Catholic High School, St. Mary's Academy, the Portland Rose Festival Foundation and the Boise-Eliot Neighborhood Association. The Stoudamire-Phillips have now hired a lawyer and are demanding principal Rast be fired from her role at the school and changes be made to racism policies. The situation has prompted many parents to remove their children from Madeline School, including one family who claims their son heard the racial slur against the Stoudamire-Phillips's son. That child's father told Oregon Live that principal Rast told him and his wife she suspected their child made up the claim and suggested he see a therapist so he could be 'deprogrammed from the anti-racist training he'd received' in Portland public schools previously. Meanwhile fifty parents have signed a letter asking the parish priest to reinstate the Stoudamire-Phillips' son and overhaul the way the school deals with racism accusations. The letter accuses principal Rast of committing 'an act of violence and overt racism' when she called the police on the boy's parents. Moreover, the family of one of the only other black students at the school wrote another letter calling for Rast's resignation and describing what they said was a pattern of racism at the school. The alleged racist incidents mentioned by the parents included 'students being made fun of for their skin tone and hair texture and other slurs. Consistently, there was no schoolwide communication and no policies and procedures actioned.' Stoudamire-Phillip told Oregon Live their older son wasnted to stay at the school and so she and her husband decided to continue volunteering to 'help improve the school's racial equity and social justice policies.' In an email to the school's parents on April 23, Rev. Bonaventure Rummell, the parish priest, said 'recent conflicts have impacted our caring Catholic community.' 'The Madeleine School remains committed to building its community based on love, understanding, and respect for the dignity of all people as modeled by Jesus Christ,' Rummell added in the email. 'This specifically includes providing a safe environment for all staff and students that is free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying.'
