A 13-year-old student says she is being bullied in school — but her peers are not the perpetrators. Jasmine Perry, a student at Northview Middle School, says classroom instructional assistants compared her appearance to an animal and announced her failing grade to the classroom.
On April 25, Perry’s classroom was taking a break from ISTEP+ testing when her classmates started engaging in banter with instructional assistants whom Perry knows as Mr. Cameron and Mr. Steele. According to Perry, a student mentioned an Instagram page featuring side-by-side comparisons of children from local schools and creatures that each child resembles.
“That’s when they overheard us, and Mr. Steele pulled up a picture of this animal with a big head,” Perry said. “They (the instructional assistants) started bursting out laughing. We were like ‘What’s funny, what’s funny’ and Mr. Cameron was like ‘If you were on the Instagram page, this is what you would be.’”
The alleged picture featured a whale with an oddly shaped head. Rick Doss, the director of secondary education at Washington Township, said they are unable to comment on the incident due to the confidentiality laws.
“I got mad, and everyone started laughing,” Perry said. “There were a whole lot of kids in there laughing and I said, ‘That’s not even funny because he is fat,’ and he said ‘Yes, I am fat, and you are dumb.’ That’s when I really got mad,”
Perry argued with the educator and was asked to leave the classroom. Perry left and called her mother, LaToya Grady, to tell her about the incident. Grady left work and rushed to the school.
“I came up here because I felt it was totally inappropriate. Kids come to school to learn, and it’s a bonus to have someone to look up to, not someone to put them down,” Grady said, “She has previously dealt with bullying issues from classmates saying things about her facial features or her acne and things like that. To hear that this is coming from a teacher, and two male teachers at that, is disheartening.”
Perry says this was not the first time she was targeted by the adults mentioned.
“Another day, I was talking, and Mr. Steele was like ‘Jasmine, I don’t know what you are doing because you have an F in here.’” Perry said. “Why would you say that out loud?”
A peer told Perry that Cameron had referred to Perry as “that girl Jasmine with the big forehead.”
When Grady approached the administration with her concerns, she felt they brushed her off.
“The first thing (the principal) asked me was ‘What are her grades like?’” Grady said. “I was like, ‘What does that have to do with anything?’”
Grady said the principal told her students were “roasting back and fourth” with the adults.
While Principal Matt Kaiser did not respond to requests for an interview, he did send an email.
“We have been in continuous communication with the family you mentioned in your message and based on this communication we feel we have brought the matter to an appropriate conclusion.”
But Grady disagrees, stating that she still does not know if any repercussions will come against Cameron or Steele.
“I feel like they do this because they think some parents don’t care, or they will not make it a big issue, but I feel it needs to be known and parents need to be aware,” Grady said. “I came this way because I heard great things (about Washington Township), and how the schools were great. It’s much more expensive than where I lived before, but I was willing to do that so my kids can attend good schools. It’s really disheartening to know you are doing all of this to make sure your kids get a good education, but this is how they are being treated.”
Contact reporter Keshia McEntire at 317-762-7853. Follow her on Twitter
@Keshiamc12.
Jasmine Perry says she does not know if repercussions will come against the educators involved. (Photo/Keshia McEntire)
