A teacher at Thomas Boushall Middle School in Richmond, Virginia, has been suspended after allegedly prohibiting a sixth grader from speaking Spanish in her classroom.
In a video that went viral on social media, the teacher, who has not been identified, is heard telling the child that "when you're in America you're gonna speak English."
"You got all these taxpayers in America, they got the benefit of English speaking language and so do you... so appreciate that. You're not gonna come and speak it while the teacher don't understand what you're saying and you're not gonna run my class like that," she said.
"I didn't know speaking my own language was wrong," the student responded.
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"You speak it at home, baby... with your mom and your dad and whoever else is there," the teacher said.
The video was published at the end of April by a radio station. The student has not yet been identified.
The Richmond City School Board sent a statement to NBC Washington in which they confirmed that they are investigating the case.
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"The employee is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation by the Employee Relations team," said Richmond Public Schools Chief Wellness Officer Renesha Parks.
"While we cannot comment further on personnel matters please know that RPS happily serves a diverse group of students across many races and nationalities. We will continue to support and advocate for them all," she added.
RSP held a meeting on May 1 in which various members of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and former students denounced that "district-wise this is an issue that is not being handled properly."
"(For) all the students who are children of immigrants, we call on you guys to represent them and see them for who they are," said Luxagamo, a former student of RPS. "Because for this student to have to take a video and go viral to be heard is disgusting."
