Catholic School Calls Police on Black Parents Over Racism Complaint, Expels Child

Incident at The Madeleine School

• 🏫 The Madeleine School, an Oregon Catholic institution, is facing backlash after calling 911 on Black parents whose child reported experiencing racism.
• 👶 The parents' fourth-grade son was reportedly called the N-word by another student, an incident that escalated when the parents met with the principal.
• 🚨 The principal, Ms. Rast, called the police on the parents, Karis Stoudamire-Phillips and Mike Phillips, after they refused to leave the school premises.

School's Response and Expulsion

• 🚫 Despite the parents being the victims of a racist incident, the school later notified them that their son would no longer be enrolled, citing a "termination of partnership."
• 🤥 School officials allegedly denied the incident occurred, suggesting the son might have misheard the slur or even made it up, and recommended he see a therapist for "anti-racist training."
• 📧 The parents' email response criticized the principal as "completely inept" and accused her of fostering a school culture that allowed both overt and subtle racism.

Community Reaction and Demands

• ✊ Several school community members supported the Phillips family, with approximately 50 parents signing a letter to the parish leader demanding the child's reinstatement and policy changes.
• 📣 Some families withdrew their children from the school, while others planned to do so the following school year.
• 🗣️ The Phillips family is demanding a public apology, the dismissal of the principal, an independent investigation, and mandatory anti-racism training for staff and families.

Broader Societal Context

• 🌍 The discussion highlights how such incidents are not confined to specific regions, suggesting that social media has blurred state borders and ideological distinctions.
• 📉 It is suggested that financial considerations, such as families withdrawing children and impacting the collection plate, may have influenced the school's decisions.
• 🌐 The conversation touches on the idea that people live in digitally informed, algorithm-driven "fake worlds" rather than engaging with the real world and learning to coexist with those who are different.