Public school teacher hanged a black doll from a cord at a high school because he wanted the students to see if someone would claim it. The history teacher, who is white, said that he found the black doll unattended and hung it from the cord of a pull-down projector screen at the front of the classroom so the owner could retrieve it. But, according to an online petition, the history teacher “has been heard using slurs against trans people, even making transphobic statements directly against trans people; has been seen making a mockery of the Black Lives Matter Movement; has been known to consistently make racially charged comments towards POC in his classes.”
The teacher from Chicago, Carl Pasowicz, found the doll Monday at the Whitney Young Magnet High School unattended, he said. The educator then hung the doll from the cord of a pull-down projector screen at the front of the classroom.
Principal Joyce Kenner released a statement and said the white teacher indicated he found the doll in his room and wanted the students to see if someone would claim it.
A black teacher saw the hanging doll, which was a Black doll dressed in a blue football uniform, and recognized it as reference to a lynching and confronted Pasowicz.
Per reports, video of the incident shows that Pasowicz and the black teacher, who has not been identified, getting into a heated argument.
A video of the incident quickly circulated on social media among the students and led to a swift investigation by the selective enrollment school’s administration.
School administrators are investigating this incident, the principal said.
According to the Daily Mail, an online petition was set up on Change.org, which identified the white teacher as the offending teacher. The online petition called for him to be removed because he had for years spread bigotry and misinformation throughout Whitney Young High School as a world history teacher. He has been a perpetrator of hate crimes and micro aggressions against students and teachers alike, the petition stated.
According to the online petition, the history teacher “has been heard using slurs against trans people, even making transphobic statements directly against trans people; has been seen making a mockery of the Black Lives Matter Movement; has been known to consistently make racially charged comments towards POC in his classes.”
‘People are too sensitive these days,’ the petition, which has more than 550 signatures, quotes Pasowicz saying.
According to the school officials, the history teacher was suspended on Wednesday.
Public school administrator, Kimberly Coleman, released the following statement: “I have been furious all day. My daughter has been bothered by previous comments from the teacher. She has told me he has made insensitive racial comments before in class.
When he was confronted by an African-American teacher about it an argument ensued- because, of course, he saw nothing wrong with it. I’m livid. I’m mad as hell. But most of all I’m determined that she will never step foot in this class again as long as he is the teacher.”
The Teachers Union, which represents the two teachers, released the following statement: “The school district must provide a safe space for every member of our school communities, which is especially important in a district that serves a student population that is 90% Black and Brown children.
We understand the investigation at Whitney Young is ongoing, but practices that mitigate the harm of racial biases must also be ongoing and consistent in our schools. And any definition of ‘safety’ must include creating and reinforcing an environment of equity and inclusion for all students, staff and faculty of color.”