Oregon Catholic School Principal Fired After Calling Police on Black Parents

Principal Fired After Police Call

• 📌 Tresa Rast, principal of The Madeleine School in Portland, Oregon, was fired weeks after calling the police on two Black parents.
• 💡 The parents, Mike Phillips and Karis Stoudamire Phillips, were meeting with Rast to address an incident where their son was called the n-word by a classmate.
• ⚠️ When the parents refused to leave the school grounds after demanding accountability, Rast called the police, stating they were "yelling at employees and refusing to leave."

Racial Incident and Escalation

• 🎯 The parents were initially called to the school in March after their son's classmate used the racial slur.
• 🗣️ They also pointed to a previous, allegedly mishandled, racial incident involving their older son.
• 📞 During the 911 call, Rast did not know the parents' names or race, which the hosts argue is a critical detail when involving law enforcement.
• 💬 Rast expressed feeling "betrayed" by church leadership after her termination, though the school and archdiocese have not commented.

Community Backlash and Expulsion

• ✊ The Phillips' son was expelled days after the incident, leading to significant backlash from the school community.
• 📝 A petition demanding the school re-enroll the son, apologize, and dismiss the principal garnered over 5,000 signatures.
• ⚖️ Mike Phillips described the principal's actions as an "abuse of power," highlighting the different implications of police being called on Black individuals.

Diminished Witness Claims

• 👂 A student witness later corroborated that the racial slur was indeed overheard.
• 🧠 However, Rast reportedly told the witness's parents that she suspected their son had fabricated the incident and suggested he see a therapist to be "deprogrammed" from anti-racist training.
• 📉 The hosts criticized this response, labeling it as a dismissal of the child's experience and a failure to address the core issue of racism.

Discussion and Aftermath

• 👏 Jackson White celebrated the principal's termination, calling it a necessary outcome for abusing her authority.
• 📊 The large number of signatures on the petition was seen as a strong indicator of community sentiment against the principal and school district.
• 🗣️ The hosts emphasized the importance of accountability and the power of admitting mistakes, contrasting it with Rast's approach.