White Teachers Sue Philadelphia School, Charge Race Bias

May 17, 2011 10:00 PM

Filed under

Local, News, Philadelphia

Check Out

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Four white Philadelphia teachers filed federal race-bias lawsuits that accuse a black principal of creating a hostile work environment and suggesting they were unfit to teach black children.

The teachers work at a predominantly black elementary school that has a recent history of racial tension. Their lawsuits say that a former principal had them read an article that said “white teachers do not have the ability to teach African-American students.”

The teachers also allege that the principal, Charles Ray III, and others undermined their work by reprimanding them, randomly changing their room assignments and letting black teachers ignore rules that their white counterparts had to follow. Ray also retaliated when they filed union grievances, they said.

“Charles Ray III consistently stated that he had a relationship with top school officials indicating that his conduct was part of an approved policy or was part of a pattern of practices sanctioned and supported by ‘higher authority,”’ the suits allege.

The teachers—Nicole Boyd, Debra McKibben Marenbach, Colleen Yarnell and Marta Ciccimaro—filed the lawsuits last week, demanding more than $150,000 each. Courthouse News Service first reported on the complaints Tuesday.

The school district had no immediate comment, spokeswoman Shana Kemp told The Associated Press.

Kemp said she was not immediately authorized to say if Ray still works for the district. A message left at a possible home number for him was not immediately returned.

Racial tensions among staff at Thomas Mifflin Elementary School have simmered before.

A white principal left about four years ago amid a chorus of complaints from black parents. One mother testified at a City Council meeting in December 2007 that she had heard the administrator say Muslim students looked like “flying nuns,” according to news reports.

In April 2008, vandals defaced a mural on the side of the school with anti-Semitic graffiti.

Ray arrived that fall, and lasted only for the 2008-09 school year, the lawsuit said.

The surrounding East Falls neighborhood is largely white and, in some sections, wealthy. Residents include former Gov. Ed Rendell and former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter. But many white families in the area send their children to private schools.

Mifflin currently has about 270 students, 86 percent of them black and 85 percent of them poor, according to school district data.

The defendants include the local teachers union and a supervising teacher whom Ray allegedly ordered to go through personnel files and investigate their home and personal lives.

Lawyers for the teachers did not immediately return calls for comment.

MOST VIEWED GALLERIES

PHOTOS: Best Female Musicians Of The 2000s
PHOTOS: Celebrity Infidelity Scandals
PHOTOS: Celebrity Birthdays: May
PHOTOS: Top 20 Most Hated Hollywood Celebrities
PHOTOS: Spring Fashion Trends As Told By Celebrities

White Teachers Sue Philadelphia School, Charge Race Bias

rickl

Since Thomas Mifflin was a white dude, maybe the school should be renamed after King Samir Shabazz.
Jeff Walker

Integration and diversity are not sources of strength and enrichment but of inevitable conflict and suffering.

Floda

Yes Jeff,

And in the end, I mean the very end physical race war in which your skin color is your uniform. Multiculturalism is a bacillus deliberately introduced into ALL White countries to undermine them. There is nothing wrong with Black people, it is just that Whites and Blacks evolved in different regions and climates which makes them different today. Enforced integration is insanity.

Stanley

So true, so true.
SpotLight

White teachers are indeed not well suited to teach the blacks.

Look at any classroom with white, black, Hispanic, and Asian students. They all sit in the same class and the Asian students ace it out, the white and Hispanic students do OK, and the others don’t know what happened.

In defense of the black students, they have endured 50+ years of democrat giveaway programs. They were led to believe that they could succeed without putting forth any effort. Their families were divided by democrat laws that rewarded irresponsibility.

It is very sad and I don’t know how the rank and file blacks will ever recover from democrat party domination.

Frustrated democratic white teacher

And SpotLight, you say this with what educational background in education? I’m not sure my black students want your defense considering I’m a damn good WHITE teacher. Who do you think taught them that they could succeed without putting forth any effort? I can assure you it’s not the teachers at my school, black or white.
Two years ago when I taught 5th grade I had a female student up on lunch detention because she gave no effort and plenty of attitude. I tried to give her the talk about the job market and her response was “I’ll get a man to take care of me…” and I asked “Do you really want to depend on a man? You’re an independent woman type” and then she listed all the federal programs that she can get money from. Many of which I’ve never heard of. Who did she learn this from? White teachers??? Democrats??? It’s one thing for democrats to have these programs for people who truely need them, especially in a time like this, it’s another to have no morals and raise children to think it’s okay to take take take and not earn earn earn.

Mike Lyons

His point was that its not what they’re learning from their teachers but from the culture at large. I tend to agree with his comment. Teachers are being undermined by the mixed messages that are coming from black culture. Broken homes are the norm, learning is seen as a sign of being “too-white”, and rap music glorifies a culture of criminal and misogynist behavior laced with showy affectations of wealth. Black children grow up with their images of success being sports stars, comedians or rappers. The very moral foundation of black American culture has been eroded. Unless you fix the family issues, you will always be fighting an uphill battle.

MySweet Lard

Look at that classroom. Spotless. Must be a white janitor.

your a dumb ass

Really? what a dumb ass comment

KenInIowa

First and foremost, let the facts of the case adjudicate it.

Next, the comments here are absolutely shocking. This is the year 2011, not 1965. And it is still America, where people are free, and discrimination based upon race and gender is illegal. Well, perhaps that does not apply to the commenters here.

In most of the rest of the world, and indeed a lot of other States, this kind of garbage no longer is appropriate, accepted, or wanted.

They used to call Philadelphia the “City of Brotherly Love”, now it appears from the comments I have read, it is a city where Hate is ok! You should be ashamed of yourselves.

CKW

And now they call Philadelphia Killadelphia…and it is not because of all the white on white killings. Now that is real Hate. You are the one who should be ashamed.

KenInIowa

I am not ashamed of what I said. I could care less who was the victim, and who the perpetrator is, or was. I care about people who judge based upon ideas that one race might be better than another.

So tell me, what have you done to help the situation get better?

RLA Bruce

You discriminated when you chose the opposite sex for a spouse. All gays of your own sex should sue you!

Whatever happened to having the same standards and rules for everyone regardless of race? If a given race is biased against education because it’s “acting white”, then who is discriminating against whom?

No African-Americans here, just AMERICANS. No special favors to anyone regardless of race.
Alfred King of Wessex

Ken in Iowa. Your worst problems are tornados and corn borers. You have no idea what things are like in Philadelphia. It is a violent, crime ridden city, that is slipping further each year into an abyss from which it may never recover ( like Detroit) What may sound, to your liberal ears as racism, is also honest REALITY. It isn’t based on hate, but on life that has become more akin to wondering what the future will be as neighborhood and neighborhood in this once great city is destroyed by the residents whose criminality and indifference outstrips the taxes and social services needed to deal with theise urban issues.

KenInIowa

I lived for two years at 5th and Olney in Philly. I lived near 79th and Halsted for a year in Chicago. The neighborhood I was born in is now wholly Hispanic, and can be dangerous because of gangs. I am not blind and dumb to what happens in urban areas.

Growing up, I got sick of racism on a daily basis. And today I reject it!

Why? As I see it, there are no perfect people in the world. I have my problems, you have yours, ad nauseum. You and I may have overcome a lot to get where we are today. That is because no one held our defects against us. They were overlooked.

I had a manager many years ago now, who I got along with very well. We told jokes, shared experiences, especially about parenting. He complained when his son scratched his car up. It was l several years later did I realize this man was black.

We have many people in this country, that know nothing but poverty. That equate success with physical goods, and not one’s self pride. Many have no pride at all. Many suffer from Mental Illness. Drug use is rampant because it is an escape from the realities of life. Same goes with alcohol.

The answer to this problem is not calling them apes, or animals or such garbage. I believe it lies with finding self acceptance, through work and accomplishments. By choosing the better role model.

You and I might agree that our country has built up a system of self defeat. I doles out money, but does little for the person. I have proposed since the 70′s that our system needs to address not only need, but behavior that keeps them trapped in such a place.

But that can only work, if they are respected, and accepted. Looking at too many of these comments here, that is not happening. It hardly solves the problem, and may add to it.

And it is OK to dislike a person because of their actions. It is rightly acceptable to strongly detest violent behavior, especially where you live. But to damn an entire group or class of people, just because of their race, does not belong in our Country. Instead, let us use our minds, and not emotions to turn things around. I have proposed over and over again that those who deal with people on assistance, be social workers as well. Not to waste money, but to genuinely help them change their course. There must be a lot of other ideas that can work.

But name calling and racism will only fan the flames, and nothing accomplished.

tightmadness

I agree with you 100%

MySweetLard

Lets face facts, all whites would prefer to be educated in black schools, but the darn blacks just keep movin whenever us crackers show up. Cmon bros..share your brilliance.
rickl

Back to the future!
Jane

This is the result of Liberal politics. They are dividing the races rather than bringing them together. they need this division so they can keep Blacks uneasy and/or in need of them.
lukenev

I think that the President has set back race relations 50 years. Shame on this principal and shame on the current government of the U.S. for what they are saying and by their actions.

let it go.

Oh dear Lord… how on earth does this come back on the president? I’m assuming you’re someone who believes he’s Muslim as well?? Ohh and are you a birther?? hahaha

tgc

You really don’t see how this comes back on your president? Really!? Ohhh and are you an obamabot?

AMBRO

Gettin over on Whitey is a fool’s game that self-victimized groups all play. Too bad the winners of the contest win ignorance,poverty, nihilistic violence and astronomical illegitimacy rates… all as first prize. I hope the black teachers and administrators (all paid out of your pocket whether you be blacl or white or etcetcetc) enjoy and are proud of their actions.
Fanny Forbes Franklen

All government schools should be shut down. There is nowhere in the Constitution for government indoctrination centers manned by the incompetents that are paid through the extraction of other people’s wealth with the threat of force if you don’t pay. A totally degenerate mindless system that can’t even turn out people that can read or write. — http://911essentials.com
Strawberry

Of course whites can’t teach blacks, you half to first speak their language.

Chris

You mean “have to”? Half means 50%.

Barbara

“Strawberry” here is just speaking in his natural ghetto patois, Ebonics. It’s truly sad that public education promotes this “language” without a second thought. As a result, like most blacks, he’s probably shocked that most of the world thinks he is a f–kin’ idiot.
mary

LMAO…..

Proud Teacher

Strawberry, I am a white teacher and my thirty black 4th grade students can find many grammar mistakes in the sentence you wrote. I’m sorry that a teacher didn’t reach you in the way I hope I reach my students every single day.

Sad Parent

Conjunction junction. What’s your function?

Don’t be too proud.
Lawrence of Arabia

Sad Parent:

This is the pithiest remark I’ve seen here yet.

Kudos for spotting that. I wonder what she (he?) “reaches” those kids with “every single day.”

Excellent post.

Bob Burns

Black schools w/black students, teachers, principals, and white schools. Then everybody can be happy

cyndikus

all the work to integrate and now we are back to segragating. I notice CA schools are being filled with hispanic teachers and other staff. I think it must be hard for a caucasion to get work these days.

bigbiz2

There has been zero job growth for white males for the past 15years …soon zero growth for white females ..Mexicans like all non whites stick together but whites are not alloed to do so…
bigbiz2

Also hard to find a policeman or highway patrol in california that isn’t a Mexican
RLA Bruce

My work takes me to Memphis schools. You’d never know segregation was the law there. Some schools are nearly all black, students and staff. And, predictably, performance follows racial lines.

Ron

Did you even read the article? I think you have the players confused!
Cheryl

Some Caucasian teachers have no business attempting to educate children of color–when all they see is RACE.

Do you know this to be the case here, or you’re just assuming that the white teachers are guilty of something?
R W

What – you didn’t know you, as a white person, would be subjected to racism in the Philly school system? Why even bother there?
philamena

It looks like Mifflin Elementary’s administrators are judging white teachers based on the color of their skin and not on the content of their character.

Susan

Exactly. Why is racism acceptable behind a pointed BLACK finger?

bottomline

Being a hopeful idealist, I always thought, given the opportunity, people would do the right thing.
I know longer support the needy and oppressed because I know now they would walk all over their supporters if they had the power. Racism is racism, will always exists, regardless of color, and everyone deserves the consequences. The same applies to nationality, religion, gender. We reap what we plant because history repeats itself.
These teachers would be better off moving on and let nature take its course.
J.D.

letting black teachers ignore rules that whites had to follow

There’s no “work around” that mistake.
Maria Smith

ok, so now “Why can’t we all get along”?? But if it was Blacks suing instead of Whites, then it’s racism. What a farce!!
harpotoo

Not for long as even a dead turn could beat the Obummer at this point.
Harpotoo

And you wonder why Black don’t get decent educations! It’s self inflicted!