A Black Portland boy in fourth grade was reportedly expelled from a Catholic school after his parents reported their son being called a racial slur.
The parents of the young child, Mike Phillips, and Karis Stoudamire-Phillips, said that the school's principal, Tresa Rast, called police over to the school in late March 2025. That was when the parents demanded to know what actions the school would take in response to another student calling their son the N-word.
Black Boy Expelled After Being Called Racial Slur
A few days later after the incident, the school allegedly expelled the fourth grader, arguing that his parents violated the school's code of conduct. On Wednesday, the school told families that Rast was placed on leave following the development.
Now, thousands of people have signed an online petition that calls for the Catholic school to issue an apology and take accountability for what happened with the Black boy's family. It argues that many others have had similar experiences, according to Newsweek.
The parents of the boy initially found out about the incident with their son after they received a call from the school's secretary. The latter told the couple their son heard one student call him a racial slur while he was going back to his class after recess.
The couple immediately rushed to the Catholic school and spoke with the principal. The conversation got heated as the parents were unhappy about how Rast handled a previous incident involving racism with their older son, who graduated last year from the same school.
The mother said that the Madeleine School's principal asked her and her husband to leave the office, which they refused. This was because they wanted some clarification on a plan of action the school intended to take regarding the situation, MSN reported.
School Principal Calls Police on Parents
However, Rast instead called 911, requesting that law enforcement personnel come to the school to handle the parents. The Portland Bureau said officers reported to the scene after being called for "parents yelling at the employees and refusing to leave."
When the school notified the parents that their son was being expelled, they were heartbroken to think about how the child would take the news. When they told him, he cried, knowing that he had a field trip the next day that he was forced to miss out on.
The boy's family has since acquired legal representation to handle the matter and their attorney, Manuelle Tshala, emphasized that there needs to be change. This is to make sure that other children do not experience a similar situation, as per KGW8.
