6 girls lineup to spell N****r on picture day

mynameaintG said:

yall just salty yall cant get under white peoples skin like they got under black peoples skin sans violence.

thats the root of all racism.

if 7 black kids did the same thing with the word "Cracker," no one would care.

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 [h1]Teacher claims racial bias at Ahwatukee school[/h1]
Luci Scott, The Republic | azcentral.com4:42 p.m. MST May 1, 2014

(Photo: Cicely D. Cobb)

An African-American teacher at Desert Vista High School in Ahwatukee has filed a federal lawsuit alleging racial discrimination by the Tempe Union High School District and by students and administrators at the high school.

Cicely D. Cobb, an English teacher, filed the lengthy complaint in federal court against the district and Anna Battle, Desert Vista principal, who at the end of the school year is to become assistant superintendent of the district. Battle also is African-American.

Another defendant, Kevin Mendivil, is the district's assistant superintendent of human resources.

"My students contend that I'm at the top of my game, and parents are impressed with my skills," Cobb said during a news conference Thursday after the filing.

At the news conference, the Rev. Jarrett Maupin, president of the Progressive Christian Coalition, said, "This is a very serious civil-rights issue. This is a dedicated teacher … who has been mistreated because of the color of her skin."

He noted that Battle, the school's principal, is African-American but added, "Values-wise, I question where she is."

The Rev. Oscar Tillman of the local NAACP said he is not supporting Cobb, adding that Battle has been willing to talk with Cobb "anywhere, any time."

Battle, when asked for comment, referred a reporter to the Tempe Union district office.

Marshall Martin, Cobb's attorney, said since the lawsuit was filed in February students have been posting on Twitter, including derogatory implications of a sexual nature.

"They've been taking pictures or video of Dr. Cobb. ... A lot of this is happening during the school day when the students aren't even supposed to be on their phones," Martin said. "There is little if any discipline of students for that. As a result, Dr. Cobb's credibility and authority have been completely undermined by the administration."

Cobb's court papers allege discrimination in the form of a double standard, lack of support and a lack of action with regard to racial slurs against a Black student. She alleges retaliation for having complained about discrimination and harassment in various ways, including the manner and method in which she has been evaluated and in the discipline of students within the classroom.

READ: The district's legal response to the lawsuit

In a court filing, the district denies all of the allegations.

Cobb in court papers alleges a series of incidents:

• In September 2013, a White male student in Cobb's class took out his new driver's license to show the class. Another student, a black male, had also just received his license and was asked by the White student to show it to the class. Cobb asked the Black student not to do it.

"The White student made the comment, 'You are probably so Black in the picture we can only see your teeth,' " court papers said. Cobb admonished her class about such comments and attitudes.

• Shortly after that incident, Cobb alleges that another Black male student confided to Cobb that similar comments of a racist nature had been made to the Black student in the boys' locker room and during a school-bus ride while the movie "Lion King" was being shown. The same White male made a racially insensitive comment about the use of slaves and wagons while in a class taught by Victor Silva, who admonished the student, Cobb alleges.
• In January, Cobb was hit on the head with a laminated bathroom pass by a White male student who then left the classroom briefly. Upon his return, he again hit Cobb on the head. She gave the student a 30-minute detention. Cobb also told athletic director T.J. Snyder of the bathroom-pass incident. The boy was not given any additional discipline by Desert Vista administrators, she claims.
• In January, when a Black female student screamed in Cobb's class, she was immediately removed from the classroom by administrators and moved to another teacher's class.
• In the fall of 2012, the adult brother of a student in one of Cobb's classes threatened Cobb on Facebook should his sister not receive an "A," court papers say. So Cobb filed a police report and asked Battle that the female student be removed from her class. The request was denied at the time but the student was removed for spring semester.
• During a meeting with department chairpersons in September 2013, there was a discussion about Cobb raising her voice to students. During the meeting, it was acknowledged that a White male teacher raised his voice to students and that it was not a problem, court papers said.

Cobb's complaint alleges that she received conflicting messages from supervisors. For example, in November 2012, Christine Barela, assistant principal at Desert Vista who next year becomes principal, told Cobb to "chunk" a video, or to stop it in places to question students and have them take notes. In January 2012, Cobb's department chairwoman, Deborah Benedict, reiterated the need for students to take notes during the video.

However, in February 2013, Battle criticized Cobb for "chunking" a video and for walking around the room to make sure the students were engaged and writing notes, the complaint says.

Later that month, "in contrast to the evaluation done by the academic coach the day prior, Battle found on Feb. 27, 2013, that plaintiff was 'ineffective' in multiple areas," Cobb says.

Cobb was asked to attend a meeting with Battle and Mendivil "ostensibly for the purpose of discussing reasonable accommodations required due to her eyesight."

At the meeting, however, Cobb was asked about an article she had written for theAhwatukee Foothills News over the summer. She was told that she should reconsider writing for the paper "in your own backyard." Cobb said the tone of the meeting was hostile. At the time, there was no policy in the district about teachers writing articles.

Cobb's article and subsequent articles contained "nothing controversial, derogatory or negative about the district, its staff or students," court papers say.

A White male teacher currently employed at Mountain Pointe High School within the district has submitted articles and letters to the editor for the paper and has never been called into a meeting in the principal's office or otherwise admonished, court papers say.

Battle herself has written articles for a local magazine, Cobb said.

In an October meeting, Battle and Barela "seemed to find humor in the discussion about the Black student who had been likened to a character in the 'Lion King,'" and in the driver's license incident. Also, they seemed to find humor in how the Black male student had been treated, Cobb alleges in court papers.

In that meeting, Cobb was told not to "brag about" her education. She holds a Ph.D. from Purdue University. Neither Battle nor Mendivil have a Ph.D., which in academic circles is considered more prestigious and rigorous to achieve than an Ed.D., which is Battle's doctorate degree.

After that meeting, Mendivil denied that anyone had laughed but said there was smiling, which he said was not appropriate but not intended to be disrespectful. In his same e-mail to Cobb, he said he "did not see any of this."

The district in its response in court papers denies that anyone laughed at the meeting nor did they show disrespect.

In November, Cobb filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In December, Cobb was given a Professional Growth Plan, in which she was told to attend all English department meetings and engage in "close proximity" to the rest of the teachers and the leader.

No other teacher had been told where to sit during department meetings, the complaint says. Later in December Cobb filed a second charge of discrimination with the EEOC.

Cobb was admonished for not regularly referring students to the academic lab for special attention, such as tutoring, but fellow department members have not been similarly admonished, court papers say.

Cobb, who was hired in July 2012, remains a probationary English teacher at Desert Vista. Probation is standard for the first three years, but her court papers say she will not be allowed to continue after her current contract expires. In February, a day before she filed the lawsuit, she was presented with a Performance Improvement Plan and Preliminary Notice of Inadequacy of Classroom Performance-Probationary Teacher.

"The content of the (PIP) and the (notice), including the subjective nature of the criteria upon which (Cobb) is to be evaluated and the persons responsible for any future evaluation make termination of (Cobb's) employment or non-renewal of her contract virtually inevitable," her lawsuit says.

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sooperhooper said:

What if it's revealed that they're mixed, would you all still be upset?
 

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mynameaintG said:

yall just salty yall cant get under white peoples skin like they got under black peoples skin sans violence.

thats the root of all racism.

if 7 black kids did the same thing with the word "Cracker," no one would care.

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mynameaintG said:

yall just salty yall cant get under white peoples skin like they got under black peoples skin sans violence.

thats the root of all racism.

if 7 black kids did the same thing with the word "Cracker," no one would care.

Click to expand...

mynameaintG said:

yall just salty yall cant get under white peoples skin like they got under black peoples skin sans violence.

thats the root of all racism.

if 7 black kids did the same thing with the word "Cracker," no one would care.

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Art Vandelay said:

If that is how you truly feel, I respect that. With that being said, I do not respect that notion. As if 7 black teenagers would do that, and furthermore get "disciplined" for it. "G".

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mynameaintG said:

you put those 7 black teenagers in a predominantly black school, no discipline wouldve taken place. unless their teacher or principal was Stacey Dash.

of course its probably happened plenty of times but white people just dont care. they still count their money and ride around in their nice cars, while black people are trying to complain their way to the top #OscarsSoWhite.

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Rolaholic said:

LOL @ that being an "indirect" remark

That's how you know he's trolling

Ol' "just shut up and accept racism already"

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mynameaintG said:

racism isnt going anywhere, the fact that people still get so butthurt over indirect racial remarks is beyond me.

we continue to shine the ignorance of others in hopes of what? that it will end all racism?

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JJs07 said:

This is H2H King's superbowl, right here

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Hand2HandKing said:

JJs07 said:

This is H2H King's superbowl, right here

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ya make it seem like things like this make me happy to see 

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DCAllAmerican said:

Quién es el hombre es esto?

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HTG Designs said:

That act was unnecessary, inappropriate and uncalled for.
Other than seeking attention, there is no real reason for them to do that.
Beyond being racist or insensitive, they are being stupid.

If I was the photographer (black/white/whatever), I wouldn't have taken the photo.
Woulda told them chicks to go wash they sperm encrusted faces.

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Art Vandelay said:

Or how about it not happening at all, maybe these young ladies aren't racist, just horribly stupid.

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mynameaintG said:

yall just salty yall cant get under white peoples skin like they got under black peoples skin sans violence.

thats the root of all racism.

if 7 black kids did the same thing with the word "Cracker," no one would care.

Click to expand...