‘What Should I Address You As?’: Illinois Teacher Called 11-Year-Old Girl the N-word, Causing Other Students to Tease Her with the Slur. Now She Doesn’t Want To Be Black Anymore, Mom Says

An outraged parent brought a federal civil rights lawsuit against a powerful school district on Sept. 10 after learning her daughter allegedly was called the N-word and “mentally ill” by her math teacher a year ago.Amica Richardson says that Ellis Middle School in the Chicago suburb of Elgin, Illinois, violated her daughter’s civil rights under state law and Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She is bringing six charges against a female staff member and the school district — including violations of the Equal Educational Opportunity Act and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to a lawsuit obtained by Atlanta Black Star.The alleged incident happened on Sept. 12, 2023, just one week into the 2023-2024 school year. Richardson claims the middle school math teacher aggressively addressed her 11-year-old daughter with racial slurs, humiliating her in front of her peers. The teacher used the n-word and mocked the sixth grader as being “mentally ill,” the complaint says. According to the court document, her daughter has an Individualized Education Plan (or IEP) intended to ensure that children with an identified disability or special needs get the support they need.Instead, she got verbal abuse and racial slurs. Richardson spoke to...