One of the most disturbing effects of Donald Trump's campaign, in my opinion, has been the uptick in racially motivated bullying of kids across the country, mainly of Muslims, Mexicans, African Americans and Hispanics.
During two different high school basketball games back in the spring of this year, in Indiana and Iowa, students screamed Build a Wall to harass players of Latino or Mexican descent. Around the same time, spring 2016, a mother from a Northern Virginia suburbreported that she “got a call from my son’s teacher giving me a heads up that two of his classmates decided to point out the ‘immigrants’ in the class who would be sent ‘home’ when Trump becomes president. They singled him out and were pointing and laughing at him as one who would have to leave because of the color of his skin. In third grade . . . in Fairfax County . . . in 2016!”
And now an extremely disturbing report has come out about a student being bullied not by classmates, but by his teacher. Yes, you read that right. Think Progress reports that a Donald Trump loving teacher in Arizona from a school called "Academy of Excellence" took his hateful speech a bit too far. And by a "bit" I mean way over the line, so far past it that she can't possibly even see it with binoculars.
A complaint has been filed with the ACLU, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Education alleging that the teacher engaged in a pattern of abuse of this child, singling him out because of his Muslim faith and nationality. As a little back story, this child is only 11 years old and came to the US as a refugee from Somalia in 2012. He had just enrolled at this school as a 6th grader.
The teacher is named Faye Myles and it was reported that she told the student that she was giddy at the though of Trump becoming President so that he could get deported. What? WHAT? This is a teacher? At a school? And the school is called Academy of Excellence? If this is what they define as "excellence" I shudder to think what their definition of "average" is. Do they actually beat the children in that school?
Some of her alleged statements include:
“I can’t wait until Trump is elected. He’s going to deport all you Muslims. Muslims shouldn’t be given visas. They’ll probably take away your visa and deport you. You’re going to be the next terrorist, I bet.”
Nothing like nurturing a young child's mind by telling him all the wonderful things you expect him to become. A doctor? Lawyer? Fireman? Nah. Terrorist!
The complaint also alleges that Myles' harassment wasn't just verbal and states that she actually physically assaulted the child by choking him.
Oh, and the last allegation is a doozy. Allegedly she showed the class a video from September 11th and told the class that one day “That’s going to be you.”
Um. Is this what passes for "excellence" in Arizona? If these allegations are true, this woman deserves to lose her teaching license, be charged with a hate crime, abuse of a minor, and a litany of other crimes. To imagine that a child, a refugee who came to America to escape their home country in hopes of finding a better life, was subjected to this kind of systematic abuse and degradation is not only shocking, but criminal.
As a parent myself, I cannot fathom how this child's parents let him go to school every day. Surely they were calling the school, trying to bring this to the administrations attention. And clearly, nothing was done. But now that the ACLU, DOJ and Dept of Ed are involved, something will be done if there is even a scintilla of truth to these despicable allegations. For all three agencies to be involved, there must be something. Other students may have seen it, possibly the child has a video of statements or another faculty member overheard it.
The Trump Effect. Make America Hate Again.
