Middle School Discrimination??

I have seen this happen first hand.

Right before my eyes.

My children are mixed race (aren't we all to a varying degree??).

My son made a friend at his new school the first week and that friend wrote his name on notebook paper. He wrote out my son's name in a graffiti style. Note this is ON PAPER and my son then placed it in his binder cover.

This happened the first week of school back in August 2009.

What date is it now? What year is it now?

Today was the last day of school.

Yesterday the above mentioned paper was confiscated from my son. He was told it would be up to the school to decide if he should be given a day of in-class suspension. (What? For something he didn't write?? Something he didn't write on paper??)

He had to miss his class field trip yesterday because of poor grades. He had to sit in a classroom with other kids that had to miss too. Many were also for poor grades but others were behavioral problems (fighting, other infractions). Those that know my kiddo...know that he doesn't fall into that group. He just didn't do what he was supposed to in class and didn't do his homework. (That my dear reader is for another post for another day!)

I wrote to this particular teacher and was advised yes it was taken from him and that it was catalogued in the event it shows up around school (i.e. on walls etc).

Really? As IF he would write his OWN name on walls at school.

Because he didn't do his homework...doesn't make him STUPID.

So, where is the kid that drew it? What kind of trouble would he be in?

I know we have free speech in this country...what happened to freedom of expression? ON PAPER NO LESS?

I am afraid my young man has been singled out for something he didn't do but something he had...and it was HIS NAME. No profanity... his name.

I am composing a letter to the principal, the assistant principal (who returned the picture to me), the school district. This is ridiculous.

This may not be racial profiling but I do feel this is some level of discrimination that I refuse to teach my son totolerate.