http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/01/16/melrose-teacher-made-plantation-reference-black-student-civil-rights-office-says/nFsgzS9N4F5gqQeoZiicPM/story.html
Interestingly, the comments section thinks it's not a big deal.
The comments seem to blame the kid for starting it, and often mention that she apologized.
I read many of the comments and those siding with the teacher all seem to assume the the student meant to imitate a slave. The problem is that the teacer's reply assumes the kid was imitating a slave because he was black. Moreover, the other kids and the student felt it was racist. If a white kid said the same thing she would not have mentioned a plantation. Also, this teacher had a history of racism and even restated her prejudice in the meeting with the principal. Even if you think the comment was not derogatory, the districts actions in not even interviewing the other adult who was there shows their desire to attend to the teacher and not to the student. After that there were failure upon failures in the district's handling of the case. There actions prolonged the incident. Not the student.
Also the Globe article is very incomplete, and is thus misleading in favor of the teacher. If you instead read the much more thorough article in the Free Press, there are many details that the Globe article does not mention. Namely, that she again said something racist again in the meeting with the principal and the child, and the many ways that that the district failed in its duty to the child in the way this was handled. Also, maybe I missed it, but I did not read in the Press article that there was any finding of an apology given by teacher to student in the meeting with the principal. The Globe states that there was but doesn't cite any source.
The comments section of the Boston Globe (the most liberal newspaper in the USA) thinks it's not a big deal because it is not a big deal. The only place on earth this is a big deal is on Melrose Messages and the half dozen of you fools that keep trying to make this the crime of the century. All we heard from you folks was wait till the feds finish their investigation, heads are gonna roll, this will be on CNN with the FBI walking Taymore and Dolan down the steps of city hall doing the perp walk. And the Feds decision: some racial sensitivity training. Good Stuff. So who do you complain to next????
So when is the first "COALITION TO CHANGE MELROSE" meeting? Where do we sign up? Is the meeting in a phone booth? Priceless...