The household of a California Black fifth grader is elevating their considerations after the kid was gifted a toy monkey, bathroom and pretend poop as prize for varsity fundraising.
Genesis Thomas, a scholar at Mann Elementary Faculty in Lengthy Seashore, a Los Angeles suburb, raised $160 for the fundraiser. In return, her instructor gave her the toy, which her great-uncle, Craig Polk, discovered inappropriate.
“African People have been known as monkeys all through historical past, and for her to obtain a monkey… It’s unacceptable, simply unacceptable,” he advised Fox 11. The household now needs an apology and for the varsity’s employees to bear sensitivity coaching.
The elementary faculty is positioned within the metropolis’s upscale Belmont Heights neighborhood, the place roughly 4 p.c of residents are Black. It’s unclear if the coed was the one one given the toy or if she was focused within the incident. The best prize within the competitors was a mini fridge.
The household says the teenager was unfazed by the reward.
The scholar’s members of the family say they contacted the varsity’s principal final week and once more on Monday, however didn’t get a response. In an announcement, a spokesperson for the Lengthy Seashore Unified Faculty District stated the toy was one in every of a number of prizes obtainable and all prizes and their corresponding donation ranges have been communicated to households upfront.
“A number of college students acquired this prize as a part of their fundraising achievements,” the spokesperson stated. “Whereas the varsity’s intention was to supply lighthearted and enjoyable rewards for college students, we acknowledge that this specific merchandise was not acceptable for our faculty setting.”
The district is now reviewing its prize choice course of to make sure future prizes replicate faculty values and expectations to supply a optimistic and welcoming expertise.
“We wish to be clear that there was no intention to trigger hurt or offense. We sincerely apologize for any harm or frustration this example might have induced to our college students, households, and the broader faculty group,” the spokesperson stated.