MARION, Ill. (KMOX) - Protesters are calling for a high school PE teacher and track coach in Southern Illinois to be fired over a racist comment she allegedly made to a Black student during practice.
About 100 parents and students of Marion High School gathered on Monday for a protest and chanted things like "Black students matter" and "Mrs. Baker must go." They say Sara Baker called a 15-year-old Black student a "Black barefooted African from the third world" after she and another Black runner took off their shoes during practice, according to The Southern Illinoisan.
The school has placed Baker on paid leave from her teaching and coaching duties.
The teen's mother, Marilyn Tucker, said the teacher's apology was insincere and told her daughter she could leave the team if she didn't want to follow rules. The incident allegedly took place last Wednesday and the student's mother called the school the next day to complain.
"Her intent was to apologize, but still that wasn’t enough, because after all the things that have happened that my daughter has let me know, more things have arisen," Tucker told WPSD-TV. "They really need to address this concern.
One video from the protest went viral on social media showing police officers with a K-9. It claimed police tried to "use a dog to intimidate Protesters."
Superintendent of Marion Unit 2 School District, Keith Oates, spoke to the protesters on Monday and asked them to let the school district's investigation process play out.
“All I can say as a school district is that Mrs. Baker is currently on leave. There are processes we have to follow. That’s where it’s at, at this moment,” Oates said.
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