Local mom says Black Muslim 6th grader was 'humiliated' and 'dehumanized' in front of class by teacher
GLENOLDEN - The Southeast Delco School District says they are investigating claims made by a mother of a sixth grade, 11-year-old student at Darby Township School.
Taliyah Holmes says on Dec. 15, her son Jahiir was caught using his phone during school dismissal by a sixth grade math teacher.
Instead of just taking the phone, she says the teacher humiliated her son.
"He said, ‘Oh, you want your phone back? I need to see you beg for it, I need to see tears,’" she says.
Holmes says her son was forced to get on his knees in front of his classmates who she says laughed and ridiculed him. She says one of Jahiir’s classmates tried to stand up for him and he was yelled at.
That friend’s mother called her to tell her what happened before Jahiir got home from school.
Advocates that are now working with the family feel the demands, from a white teacher, show a form of "buck breaking" used during slavery.
"They would take the strongest slave and break them down and try to belittle them dehumanize them," says Nidir Muhammad, a family advocate."
Kneeling and begging is animalistic, also my religious beliefs forbids a man to kneel down to anyone but God," says Holmes.
Superintendent Brenda Wynder said in an email to FOX 29 that the matter is under investigation. "Under the advisement of counsel, we do not have any comments at this time," she wrote.
Holmes says she met with district leaders on December 16th and the teacher is not currently teaching students, who also went into virtual learning that day because of COVID-19.
The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia) is providing legal representation for the student and called on the district to acknowledge alleged harm, fully investigate and rectify any missteps that led to the incident.
"These disturbing allegations are reprehensible. For a teacher to forcibly confiscate a student’s phone and then make him kneel and beg in front of the class is intolerable," said CAIR-Philadelphia Civil Rights Attorney Timothy Welbeck, Esq. "The district should immediately suspend the teacher pending a full and transparent investigation and offer a public apology as it works with our office and other advocates seeking accountability."
Holmes says she also filed a report with Darby Township Police, who have not returned our calls for comment.
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