Schools
Family Sues Over 'Blackface' Suspension Of 8th Grader In San Diego
The boy was emulating his favorite athletes, but school officials saw it as blackface, according to the Center for American Liberty.
SAN DIEGO — A La Jolla middle schooler and his family are suing San Diego school officials after the boy was suspended for allegedly wearing blackface to a high school football game.
The student, identified by the Center for American Liberty as J.A., is an eighth grader at Muirlands Middle School and wore black face paint to a game between La Jolla High School and Morse High School on Oct. 13. A friend slathered him in paint from below his eyes to his chin, leaving a center strip from his forehead and down his nose, lips and upper chin unpainted.
The boy was emulating his favorite athletes, according to the civil liberties nonprofit, which added several other students were wearing black face paint in various designs.
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The high school received complaints about blackface and students yelling racist comments at the game, according to the center, citing school officials, whom the nonprofit said jumped to conclusions and drew an arbitrary line regarding the face paint.
"I was shocked,” the boy’s father told Fox & Friends this week, noting the suspension lasted two days. "There was no incident that night.”
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In addition to being suspended, J.A. was banned from future sporting events, according to the center.
“It’s clear that school officials simply wanted someone to blame for an alleged incident so they could appear to be addressing racism,” the nonprofit said in a news release. “J.A. fit the bill.”
The boy and his family asked the school to rescind the suspension and clear his name, but the district denied their appeal.
J.A. and his guardians have filed a lawsuit, according to the nonprofit, which said his suspension could affect the boy's ability to be accepted into high schools, colleges and certain jobs.
The lawsuit argues the suspension was unconstitutional and that it violated the First and 14th Amendments. It is being brought against Muirlands Middle School Principal Jeff Luna, San Diego Superintendent Lamont Jackson and 10 other people, identified as Does 1-10.
The San Diego Unified School District did not respond Thursday to a request for comment.
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