Saying, "It’s a struggle every morning,” a black student at a Wisconsin high school says she was suspended after finally protesting being called the N-word multiple times.
According to WDJT, Greendale High School junior Chanese Knox was suspended last month after arguing with another student who had slurred her -- leading school authorities to call the police.
The report stated Knox claimed another girl called her the N-word and, when she defended herself, both students were hauled into the school office, which ended with her being suspended for one day.
"We got into an argument because she said she thought the N-word was something that could be said," Knox recalled.
Diannia Merriett, Knox’s mother, was stunned by the disciplinary measure, saying, “How could you suspend the victim of a racial slur?”
According to friends of Knox, racial slurs at the school are commonplace.
“You have people that will just say [the n-word] freely in the hallways and not realize the magnitude the word has,” senior Yaminah Powell explained, as fellow senior Symone McLain added, "I shouldn’t have to be afraid to come to school because I feel like I’m going to get angry because somebody’s saying something racist.”
Citing student privacy restrictions administrators at the school issued a statement reading, "District administration takes every student, family and staff concern seriously and investigates all matters brought to our attention. Threats, hate speech and harassment have no place in our school community. In accordance with Federal student privacy laws, we are not able to provide specifics regarding the incident and student consequences referenced. We can tell you that the students involved in this situation have been counseled and appropriate school actions have been taken in accordance with District practice. School administration continues to offer to work with the student and her mother to ensure she feels safe at school."
According to Merriett, that response is not enough and she wants the suspension stricken from her daughter's school record.
