Parents To Sue School District Over Comparing Black Students To Monkeys

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Parents To Sue School District Over ‘Monkey Do’ Photo

Parents in New York recently filed a notice of claim, which signals their intention to sue the Longwood Central School District. This comes after some controversy surrounding a teacher’s decision to captioned a picture of Black students with the words, “Money Do.”

According to reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the photo of the students was taken on a zoology class trip to the Bronx Zoo back in November, where the teenagers posed near a gorilla exhibit. The students were allegedly, “tricked and cajoled” into posing for the picture.

Later on, the next month, the same photo was used in a class PowerPoint presentation, placed between separate photos of a gorilla and another monkey with the caption “Monkey See.”

“There can’t be any question about what they meant,” said John Ray, the attorney representing the families. “Remember, this is a zoology class. Evolution is taught.”

The way the image appeared in the class left the students feeling embarrassed and ashamed, states the notice of claim.

Before taking legal action, the parents of the students in the photo had already expressed their concerns, accusing the teacher of comparing the children to monkeys.

A senior at Longwood High School told the CBS News that he recorded the slideshow on his cellphone, but was threatened with suspension unless he deleted it.