VA Teacher Who Forbid Student From Speaking Spanish On Leave

RICHMOND, VA — A Richmond middle school teacher is on administrative leave after she told a student she could only speak English in her class or return to a "Spanish-speaking country," according to school officials and reports.

The incident occurred last month in a sixth-grade classroom at Thomas C. Boushall Middle School, according to reports. An audio-only video of the encounter was first obtained by Ultra Radio Richmond.

In the video, the teacher is heard telling a student that "English is spoken in this class period."

"Go back to wherever that Spanish-speaking country is and speak it. But when you're in America, you're going to speak English in the classes that are offered here," the teacher tells the student.

The student eventually responds to the teacher, saying, "I didn't know speaking my own language is wrong."

"You speak it at home, baby, for your mama and your dad," the teacher says. "You're not going to speak it in here."

In the video, the student is heard continuing to question the teacher, who ultimately tells her to leave the class.

In a statement provided to Patch, Richmond Public Schools Chief Wellness Officer Renesha Parks confirmed the teacher is on administrative leave. Neither Parks nor a spokesperson for the district identified the teacher.

"Racism, bigotry, and intolerance of any kind will not be tolerated at Richmond Public Schools. The employee is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation by the Employee Relations team," Parks said.

After declining to comment further, Parks continued, "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."

The video prompted community members, including the student's mother, to speak out at a recent Richmond school board meeting. Some called for the teacher's permanent removal, according to a WJLA report.

In a livestream of the meeting shared by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the girl's mother said her daughter returned home from school following the incident, locked herself in her bedroom, and "wouldn't stop crying."

"I am here representing not only my daughter but on behalf of all the Hispanic children," the girl's mother said. "Many times, we as Hispanics, because of fear, we don't speak out."

The girl's mother continued, "We have to be willing to defend our children and I don't regret having made this public because I am defending my daughter. I would do it again and I would do it many more times."

In a statement provided to Patch, the Richmond school board condemned "all forms of racism, discrimination, and prejudice."

"The school board also supports equal educational opportunities and treatment of all students regardless of gender expression," the statement read. "The school board, therefore, unequivocally condemns all forms of racism, discrimination, and prejudice, issues which are deeply ingrained in our society and must be challenged and dismantled in all their forms."