FRIENDSWOOD, Texas – A student at Brookside Intermediate in the Clear Creek Independent School District says her history teacher made some offensive comments in class, using racial slurs to talk about slavery.
Now, that young girl and her family are taking their concerns to the school district.
The seventh grader is afraid to reveal her identity for fear of retaliation by her classmates, but the girl said she still wants to speak out about what her Brookside history teacher said in the classroom.
"I really just don't want him there," she said.
Christopher Rayburn, a white teacher, was giving a lesson about Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the end of slavery, when the girl said he walked over to her desk and said these words:
"'Whitey can't own blackey anymore,'" she said. "I kind of shook it out of my head because I thought he wouldn't do that. That's too bold, but it hurt at the same time."
The girl told her parents who were just as shocked.
"Me, as an adult, I've dealt with that in the past but my 13-year-old child, I didn't think she should have to deal with something like that," her father said.
He said he emailed Principal Deanna Daws twice with no response. So, he contacted the assistant superintendent, who assured him the principal would soon reply.
The father said it took a week to get a meeting with Rayburn and the principal.
"Mr. Rayburn stated that he made the comment 'whitey,' but he would never use it in the context of the term 'blackey,'" said the girl's father.
The father said the principal would not say that Rayburn would face any discipline.
"And she said he has apologized and admitted to saying it. What more do you want him to do," said the dad.
Both of the girl's parents found that response disappointing.
Local 2 spoke to Rayburn at Brookside. He did not want to go on camera, but said he did apologize to the girl's father for some comments he made in class. Next year, he will be back teaching at Brookside again.
Local 2 has also contacted Clear Creek I.S.D. for a response.
A spokesperson for Clear Creek I.S.D. said they could not respond to our request by air time because of limited summer office hours.