Boy, 7, branded a racist

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...e-Africa.html#

Boy, 7, branded a racist for asking schoolmate: 'Are you brown because you come from Africa?'

Summoned: Hayley White was called to her son Elliot's school to deal with the 'racist incident'

The mother of a seven-year-old boy was told to sign a school form admitting he was racist after he asked another pupil about the colour of his skin. Elliott Dearlove had asked a five-year-old boy in the playground whether he was ‘brown because he was from Africa’. His mother, Hayley White, 29, said she received a phone call last month to say her son had been at the centre of a ‘racist incident’. She was then summoned to a meeting with Elliott, his teacher and the deputy head of Griffin Primary School in Hull. Ms White, an NHS healthcare assistant, said: ‘When I arrived at the school and asked Elliott what had happened, he became extremely upset.

'He kept saying to me, “I was just asking a question. I didn’t mean it to be nasty” and he was extremely distressed by it all.’ Ms White claimed she was asked at the meeting to read a copy of the school rules and in particular its zero-tolerance policy on racism. ‘I was told I would have to sign a form acknowledging my son had made a racist remark which would be submitted to the local education authority for further investigation,’ she said. ‘I refused to sign it and I told the teacher in no way did I agree the comment was racist. My son is inquisitive. He always likes to ask questions, but that doesn’t make him a racist.’ The school had launched an investigation after the younger boy told his mother about Elliott’s comment and she complained.

Ms White, who lives in a three-bedroom house with her son and nine-year-old daughter Olivia, has now applied to have Elliott moved from the school. Vanessa Harvey-Samuel, head of localities and learning at Hull City Council, said: ‘There is a statutory duty to report any incident that is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person.’

Last year, it was revealed that teachers are branding thousands of children racist or homophobic following playground squabbles. More than 20,000 pupils aged 11 or younger were put on record for so-called hate crimes such as using the word ‘gaylord’.

The lunatics have well and truly taken over the asylum.

Thoughts?

[Ajthedragon]

When I was in Year 5 I was sent to the headmaster for saying "poo sticks" when something went wrong, (something my nan always said) and apparently I offended the African boy in my class?

And the example you have here clearly highlights this ridiculousness.

[-:Undertaker:-]

When I was in Year 5 I was sent to the headmaster for saying "poo sticks" when something went wrong, (something my nan always said) and apparently I offended the African boy in my class?

And the example you have here clearly highlights this ridiculousness.

LOL that gave me a good chuckle, +rep

[Deak]

Thats just stupid! I mean he's only 5 years old & most likely not know about racism yet!
Like his mum says ' he was only asking a question '
All that should have happened was to say to the boy that its not ok to say things like that and then just let it go!

[Inseriousity.]

The school went about this completely wrong.It would've beenthe perfect opportunity to discuss race and British multiculturalism but instead,they start branding curious schoolchildren with a racist labelthat they're not.

[MKR&*42]

My goodness, people are so quick to jump to the conclusion that someone is racist these days - this is just another example of one of those ridiculous incidents. Honestly, he's 7... how dare that headteacher brand him a racist for being curious about where some person originates from.

If I asked one of my white friends where he/she came from and they said "Canada", that wouldn't be racist but with black people it's a different story:rolleyes:. Everyone is so "touchy" on racism these days.

[Showder]

Our school is a british-syllabus and we talk about racial colours, skins, culture and so on.
Hmmm, a small remark made big?
Weird.
P.S I don't live in U.K , I'm in Malaysia.
Btw its weird that teachers kinda scold us if we're asking for w/e colour paint we want.
And they think we're discriminating :L

[Chippiewill]

Good thing they found this now, it'll only be a year until he's in a gang, by the age of ten he'll have already burnt down hundreds of buildings as his racism fuels his anarchy and pyromania. When he's 12 he'll be in a large terror cell responsible for bombing throughout the middle east and very specific parts of london and by the age of 19 he'll be the head of the BNP. When will people stop trusting these children not not be psychotic, they need to be locked away now and be brainwashed into submission before they ask if an Asian person has come from China!

[Jordy]

I've never been a fan of PC at all but for once I don't think what's happened here is as scandalous as the Daily Mail and its sheep like to make out.

He has not been "branded" a racist at all if you read it carefully, nor has he been punished. The school or authorities have not said he is a "racist", they say he was involved in a racist incident where he made a racist remark. And let's face it, he has made a racist remark. It is a racist remark what he said whether he understood the implications of it or not seeing as he had a prejudiced belief that the boy was from Africa seeing as he was "brown". I'm not saying for a minute he's racist and I don't believe at all he meant to upset him, he's just being quizzical as he's at a young age but if you look up definitions of racist, I think that remark fits well within it (Ignorance is no defence also).

For instance in Year 4 I kicked a girl quite hard and got in a lot of a trouble for it, I couldn't understand at the time why it was so bad to kick a girl at the time, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't have been punished for it.

He hasn't even been punished for it anyway by the looks of it, he needed a telling off for the inappropriate comment and it looks like that's what he's got (and deserved), it's gone on record seeing as a complaint was made and I think it was also appropriate to make his parents aware. In any other situation I'm always seeing people moan about schools not being strict enough in this day and age, as soon as someone gets told off for an inappropriate remark it's apparently out of line to tell them off for it?

[-:Undertaker:-]

I've never been a fan of PC at all but for once I don't think what's happened here is as scandalous as the Daily Mail and its sheep like to make out.

He has not been "branded" a racist at all if you read it carefully, nor has he been punished. The school or authorities have not said he is a "racist", they say he was involved in a racist incident where he made a racist remark. And let's face it, he has made a racist remark. It is a racist remark what he said whether he understood the implications of it or not seeing as he had a prejudiced belief that the boy was from Africa seeing as he was "brown". I'm not saying for a minute he's racist and I don't believe at all he meant to upset him, he's just being quizzical as he's at a young age but if you look up definitions of racist, I think that remark fits well within it (Ignorance is no defence also).

For instance in Year 4 I kicked a girl quite hard and got in a lot of a trouble for it, I couldn't understand at the time why it was so bad to kick a girl at the time, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't have been punished for it.

He hasn't even been punished for it anyway by the looks of it, he needed a telling off for the inappropriate comment and it looks like that's what he's got (and deserved), it's gone on record seeing as a complaint was made and I think it was also appropriate to make his parents aware. In any other situation I'm always seeing people moan about schools not being strict enough in this day and age, as soon as someone gets told off for an inappropriate remark it's apparently out of line to tell them off for it?

I think you'll find people are more annoyed that schools won't punish those who smash windows and bully other students than forcing a child and his mother to sign a 'racism form' because of an innocent remark with absolutely no malice what so ever behind it. I quite frankly think you've gone completely loopy, here's a child who has made a innocent remark - you know it, I know it - yet we're going to use words like 'racist incident' to describe this? its utterly pathetic. 1984 has arrived my friends, next thing they'll be placing all these children on a creepy government database like criminals......

How about some common sense for a change; an innocent remark from an innocent lad.