Loudoun County parents ask school board to take action after child called racial slurs

The mother of a -year-old boy subjected to racial slurs in a now-viral video is asking the Loudoun County school board to take stronger action The mother says the video was made by an LCPS sixth grade boy off school grounds and shared with others The mother was joined by others from the Asian American public who are also calling for a more direct response Even though she stepped forward at a society meeting the -year-old boy s mother has appealed News not to show her face to protect her child Her message to the school board do more to address racial harassment sot to Board what are you going to to make sure this never happens again Others carried signs delivering a similar message Specific of the signs had the words don t hurt me that s what the -year-old was heard saying in the now viral video that set off a firestorm The boy s parents say their preschooler was videotaped by a sixth grader The older boy used racially derogatory slurs while the younger boy called out for help The principal of the middle school attended by the older boy sent out a announcement promising the area that even though the video was made off school grounds the situation is being handled with the seriousness it deserves Superintendent Aaron Spence sent a strongly worded report to the entire LCPS society which read in part Let me be clear hate speech and racial slurs have no place in our schools or in our public We must teach our children to see their classmates and their neighbors not as others but as fellow human beings deserving of compassion and respect But several population members are asking for an even stronger response It kind of shows even with all this diversity we re one of the the majority diverse places in the country that there is still this underlying discrimination and watering us down to cultural stereotypes announced Loudoun County resident Kevin Xu Irene Chen is an attorney representing the -year-old s family Make this a teachable moment for the schools and show that they are really serious about this type of racial bullying Chen commented News has received email messages from people who say they know the sixth grader s family They say there is a longer video that may provide more context around the boys interaction News has urged to see that video and also is seeking comment from the th grader s family While the -year-old s parents and others want assurances disciplinary action is being taken at the middle school LCPS initiative and privacy laws bar the school district from revealing any action they might take