Prosper ISD mom says her second grader faced race

Jul 24, 2023

By Erin Jones

August 23, 2023 / 10:35 PM / CBS Texas

PROSPER (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Lakesha Sims said last week her Prosper ISD second grader experienced something no child should.

"I'm wanting to come forward and share this story because I want my children to know this shouldn't be normalized," she said. "This shouldn't be something that they are just taught to deal with."

Sims said when her daughter tried to sit with a group of students during her after-school program, she became the victim of a race-related bullying incident where another student singled her out.

"She said, 'No Black girls are allowed here...no Black girls can sit here,'" Sims said. "Just at her young age, having to hear that and her first response to me was, 'Why did they say it?' Who has the answers for that?"

Sims said she contacted the school district and after-school program, AlphaBEST, which provides services for several North Texas school districts.

"Initially, the school principal empathized with us," she said. "He understood how impactful that statement was."

However, she said the district later sent an email which said in part, "You stated that bullying did not occur during the school day. If you would like to pursue filing a bullying complaint with AlphaBEST, I would encourage you to reach out to AlphaBEST."

Sims said she was put in touch with the company's chief operating officer.

"He just stated that he, as well as the regional director of AlphaBEST, stood by that they're just going to use it as a teachable moment and let the parent and student know that is unacceptable," she said.

In a statement, a representative for AlphaBEST told CBS News Texas, "While we cannot always prevent what one student says to another, we invest in curriculum, training, and inclusionary practices that support a welcoming environment for all staff and students. In cases where students in our care need redirecting, we work with the students and their parents/guardians to ensure they understand and model our core beliefs."

That response did not sit well with Sims.

She said her daughter is now telling her she's having to sit at a separate table to be distanced from the student, which she doesn't find appropriate.

"The way she sees it is, 'I'm a Black student and I'm not allowed to be with the other kids who don't look like me,'" Sims said.

She said she's hoping her situation is taken more seriously and wants the student who bullied her daughter removed from the after-school program.

"These are lasting impacts that are left with our children," she said. "The environment that they're creating around her is not acceptable."

CBS News Texas reached out to Prosper ISD about this incident. A representative for the district said they can confirm what the principal said to Sims is true.

Raised in Richardson, Erin Jones is proud to call North Texas home. Her passion for journalism began in elementary school. For a 5th grade graduation memory book, she was asked what do you want to be when you grow up? She wrote journalist.

First published on August 23, 2023 / 10:35 PM

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