RIO RANCHO, N.M. – A New
Mexico high school teacher has been disciplined after a parent says the man
told his black son that Santa Claus is white.
Officials at the school in Rio
Rancho, about 15 miles north of Albuquerque, announced Friday that
the teacher recently was disciplined for his comments to the student, but they
declined to say how, KOB-TV reported.
The move came after students at
Cleveland High School were told they could come to class dressed as Santa, an
elf or a reindeer.
Michael Rougier said his ninth-grade
son, Christopher, arrived wearing a Santa hat and beard, and the teacher asked
the boy: "Don't you know Santa Clause is white? Why are you wearing
that?"
The teacher's name was not released,
and attempts by The Associated Press to reach school
officials Saturday were unsuccessful.
Michael Rougier said the teacher's
comments enraged him.
"There's no room for that in
the classroom," he said. "Whether this teacher felt Christopher may
have been wearing this out of context, there's no room for it. There's just no
room for it."
The incident happened the same week
that Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly said on the air that both Santa Claus and
Jesus were white. Her comments drew national attention and prompted a slew of
heated comments on blogs and social media sites.
A spokesman for Rio Rancho Public
Schools said the Cleveland High School teacher knows he made a "dumb"
mistake and has since apologized to the Rougier family.
Michael Rougier said he still has
concerns. "If he has that attitude, how is it affecting students, studies,
grading habits, trending toward Caucasian kids?" Rougier said of the
teacher.
The teacher still works at
Cleveland, but Christopher has been removed from his class, KOB-TV reported.
No comments:
Post a Comment