A black Virginia middle school student has accused his substitute teacher of “forcing” him to play a “racist” class game that involves nose-picking “cotton.”
Sidney Rousey is the only black student in his eighth grade and claims he felt pressured to attend the controversial activity at Gunston Middle School last week.
After hearing about the bizarre activity, Keisha Kirkland, Rousey’s mother, immediately took to the school to demand a statement calling the surrogate “insensitive.”
Holding back emotions, Rousey explained the ordeal to ABC 7 News, saying he “didn’t want to play the game” but “didn’t want to get in trouble either.”
Black middle school student from Virginia Sidney Rousey has accused his substitute teacher of “forcing” him to play a “racist” classroom game involving nose-picking “cotton”.
“We’re supposed to put petroleum jelly on our noses and pick cotton,” he told the outlet for the activity, which is known as “the nosedive,” and is taken from the NBC game show Minute to Win It.
“I remember she asked for volunteers and then everyone in the class looked at me. [The teacher] looked at me and made me go up there to play the game.
“I didn’t really want to, but I didn’t want to get in trouble with the teacher. So I went there to play the game.’
Nosedive originated from the TV game show Minute to Win It and the aim is to transfer cotton balls from one bowl to another.
To do this, the participants may only use their noses, which have been coated with Vaseline.
Kirkland said she “didn’t know which emotion to bring first” as she confronted administration about the game, which she said “hurt” her son’s feelings.
“I didn’t know if I should be hurt, upset, angry, angry. It was a whole range of feelings,” Kirkland said.
“I came back to school the same day, spoke separately to the counselor, the teacher.
“I spoke to the teacher first and the teacher wasn’t willing to accept the wrong, she wasn’t willing to accept the insensitivity [nature] the situation.
“She just didn’t accept [of] his feelings and how he was hurt she just wanted me to know they had a lot of fun.
After hearing about the bizarre activity, Keisha Kirkland, Rousey’s mother, immediately took to the school to demand a statement calling the surrogate “insensitive.”
Arlington Public Schools said in a statement to the outlet that the “team building” activity is “optional.”
Kirkland said she was told the game was on a list of acceptable games provided by the school district.
Arlington Public Schools said in a statement to the outlet that the “team building” activity is “optional.”
“The activity, named ‘Dive’, was part of a list of optional team building activities for 8th grade Gunston students to encourage collaboration,” the statement said.
“Gunston Administrators held a meeting with the student and parents to discuss their concerns and investigate what happened and how this activity was presented to the students by the staff member.
“The investigations are ongoing. Gunston Middle School is committed to promoting an inclusive, safe and supportive learning environment that does not tolerate discrimination.’
The school added that despite his claims, Rousey was not the only student who participated in the game.
“Other students attended. One player from each team took turns in the activity,” the statement said.
“Players were challenged to move the cotton balls one at a time from one end of the table to a bowl at the other end of the table using only their noses.
“The object was [to] See who could move the most cotton balls.’
After Kirkland spoke to the unnamed substitute teacher, Rousey felt left out again.
“She closed the door and started, I would say, attacked me and said, ‘Am I a racist?'” Rousey told ABC 7 News.
She then asked Rousey if she had been “racist” in front of his entire class. Kirkland said she spoke to Gunston leaders, who were appalled by the incident and are investigating.
“They immediately took him out of class, they felt our pain, they hurt us,” she said.
After Kirkland spoke to the unnamed substitute teacher, Rousey felt left out again. The teacher called him in class and asked if she had been “racist.”
Kirkland said she was told the game was on a list of acceptable games provided by the school district
“That’s what I needed, that’s what I needed for my son, I wanted him to understand as a village that we all stand together as one. He didn’t have that on Wednesday [when the incident took place].’
Rousey has since been removed from the class and is taking the class with a careers advisor, but is unable to drop out entirely as he needs credit to graduate. He says he still regrets attending the game.
“I knew a little bit about cotton and blacks,” he said.
“I knew about it then, but right now it’s like I didn’t know. Now that I realize it, I feel even worse for playing the game.
“I knew this month is Black History Month and I felt like people didn’t really care about our history. It makes me sad that this happened to me [during] this month.’
Gunston and the school district leaders have yet to provide answers for the boy and his family.
“We’ve got a long way to go, we’ve got a very long way to go,” Kirkland said.
“I don’t think it will be over, I never thought in a million years that I would have to be standing here.
“You don’t judge a book by its cover, and when I teach them that and it happens to him, it knocks down everything I’m trying to work out for all my kids. That hurts.’
Supportive parents and Twitter users showed their support for the boy and mother, with many horrified by the incident.
One user said “approved” a demeaning game. Someone tell me what country and century we are in! Applause for this young man and his mother who spoke up.”
Supportive parents and Twitter users showed their support for the boy and mother, with many horrified by the incident
Another said: “This game is outrageous these days. This substitute teacher left an indelible mark on this young person. Shame on this school and teacher.’
One mother went so far as to describe the incident as “abuse.”
She wrote: “OMG I can’t do this. With the mother’s gaze I can absolutely identify as a protective mother, except I can’t really, I can, in the sense of that racist personal pain. I swear.
“This is some form of inexcusable and despicable abuse. This is abuse. Period.’