CT middle school track coach quits after being accused of calling student racial slur
A Connecticut middle school track coach has stepped down after she was accused of calling a Black female student a racial slur during a meet.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday during a meet between Beman Middle School in Middletown and William J. Johnston Middle School in Colchester.
The caregiver of a child on the Beman team said a coach for the other team called her a “gorilla.” The caregiver told WFSB it happened after the girl finished a race.
However, the Colchester School District offered a different description of the incident.
“Specifically, our investigation determined that the Beman students were singing a song named ‘Faneto,’ by Chief Keef,” the district said in a statement. “Thinking that the Beman students were attempting to playfully interact with her, the WJJMSCoach responded by saying, ‘You are.’”
The song’s chorus begins, “I’m a gorilla.”
Latoya Dickerson, the child’s caregiver, disputed that characterization.
“[The girl’s] exact words were, ‘The coach from Colchester called me a gorilla.’ She didn’t say, ‘This woman said “you are”‘ or anything of that nature,” she said. “Her exact words were ‘she called me a gorilla.’
“As a Black mother, I’ve never experienced anything like this, and it really put me in a very uncomfortable and frustrating situation,” Dickerson said Thursday during a press conference.
Colchester Superintendent of Schools Daniel Sullivan said in a statement the coach decided to step down, felt horrible about the situation and would have apologized if she knew she’d offended anyone.
Middletown Public Schools said it is also investigating the matter.
“Racist, derogatory, disparaging and offensive language has no place in our schools, and we do not condone it in any way,” the district said in a statement.
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