A California teacher who was caught on hot mic making racist comments about a black student and his mother has resigned, The Associated Press reports.
Kimberly Newman a science teacher at Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Magnet Academy in Palmdale made the comments after a Zoom call with the student and Katura Stokes, the student’s mother, to discuss issues with the school’s online learning platform on Martin Luther King Jr Day.
Unaware that the call hasn’t ended after she finished the conversation, Newman went on a tirade to her husband about the student and his mother, who recorded the entire thing.
“She’s answered her phone for the first time the entire year. I mean, these parents, that’s what kind of piece of s— they are. … He’s Black. They’re a Black family,” Newman said.
“I’m seeing what you’re not going through,” a voice later identified as her husband said.
“Your son has learned to lie to everybody and make excuses … to be a child. Since you’ve taught him to make excuses that nothing is his fault. This is what Black people do,” Newman said later.
Stokes reported the incident to the school’s principal and Newman was placed on administrative leave before resigning.
Stokes also filed a damage claim on Thursday against the Palmdale School District, saying a white teacher went on a rant against her 12-year-old son.
“The horrible comments the teacher made in the video are truly heartbreaking for a mother to hear and for her young son to hear,” said John Taylor, Stokes’ attorney, according to the Orange County’s Register. “It’s unthinkable that an educator would mock and belittle this family, and there is no doubt that this incident has scarred them.”
