Rochester (NY) Teacher Placed On Leave After Forcing Black Students to Pick Cotton

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.theroot.com/rochester-teacher-placed-on-leave-after-forcing-black-s-1848864636

When Precious Tross picked her daughter up from school last week, seventh grade Ja’Nasia Brown of Rochester’s School of the Arts recounted a story of her day that nearly drove her mother off of the road. In Brown’s social studies class last Tuesday, she and her Black classmates were forced to pick cotton as part of teacher Patrick Rausch’s “lesson”. It’s reported that he referred to himself throughout the day as “massah” and placed leg shackles and handcuffs on students.

“She’s traumatized; she feels belittled,” Tross said of her daughter. “He made a mockery out of slavery. How dare you.” The mother also posted an image to Facebook of the handful of cotton Brown brought home. But her daughter was not the only child that day that would go home to share the story.

Vialma Ramos, mother of Jahmiere O’Neal, was also in shock after hearing what took place that afternoon. She initially believed that her son was being exaggerative or perhaps had made the whole story up, until she saw Tross’ post on Facebook. According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, once she inquired further, she was also told by her child that Rausch used slurs directed at O’Neal’s developmental disabilities.

“I have fought all along for Jahmiere to be included in everything his peers are, and this man degraded him, insulted him and made him not want to be Black,” Ramos said. “I was in shock.”

*snip*

[chowder66]

1. Placed on leave!!?? Should be fired.

[Ocelot II]

2. WTF? Did it never occur to that teacher that this "lesson"

was stunningly racist and stupid and would not be received at all well by anybody? What, exactly, was he trying to teach - that slavery was bad? If so, why did he make only the Black kids pick cotton and be shackled? Did he really think it would be acceptable in any universe? Really, WTAF?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. K&R.

[Crunchy Frog]

4. Should be arrested. I would think that shackling students would consititute false imprisonment.

[albacore]

5. Of course the teacher made a terminally stupid mistake....

...but if he was trying to impress kids with how ugly slavery was, he'd have made all the blondes and redheads pick the cotton, etc...

Nothing pricks the entitlement balloon like being treated as second-class - or lower - citizens.

But I don't think that was the lesson he had in mind. I think it was more along the lines of "See how far you've come...? Be grateful."

As I say.... terminally stupid.

I was on the grievance resolution committee in a large school district, and I know that the union/association will have to defend him.... but I have NO idea what would be a defense of those actions.

[Tomconroy]

6. Didn't think cotton grew in Rochester, NY.

[lapucelle]

7. Here's the coverage from the local paper, The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2022/04/29/rcsd-teacher-patrick-rausch-accused-of-making-black-students-pick-cotton-rochester-ny/9586774002/

[In It to Win It]

8. That sounds too crazy to be true and yet its true.

Why would a teacher think that is okay?

[doc03]

9. How do you pick cotton in NY?

[MagickMuffin]

10. Is this part of CRT?

I'm not buying it.


Paschal High School in Fort Worth are also under fire for letting a student give his presentation with racial slurs throughout and the teacher let him continue reading his bile.

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

11. Gotta laugh about it, or...

...It's not the first time I've heard of something like this.

His white friends sure thought it was funny. =/