Teachers from Anthony Aguirre Junior High in Channelview, Texas have come under fire for an end of school ceremony that many are finding to be more offensive than fun. The ceremony was meant to be a joke, being that mock awards were given for fake categories. Although this concept seems inventive and light-hearted, the results were everything but.
A joke that fell flat
Seventh grader Lizeth Villanueva, one of the students in the two academic honor classes that were a part of the ceremony, received a very offensive Award. The thirteen-year-old was given the “most likely to become a terrorist” award by her teacher, Stacy Lockett.
Villanueva said Lockett, along with three other teachers present, “laughed” as she signed and handed her the certificate. It’s important to note that this took place merely one day after the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in Britain. Lizbeth also told a local news station that the teacher “said that some people might get offended, but she doesn't really care about our feelings.”
Villanueva's mother, Ena Hernandez, didn’t have the same humorous feelings toward the ceremony, and for good reason. Hernandez told The Washington Post, “I was upset and very mad when I saw the award. I was surprised because my daughter has been doing well in the honors program.”
Villanueva, who is Salvadoran American, was shocked and disturbed as well, and has not been back to school since because she “feels uncomfortable.”
She wasn’t alone in this tone-deaf attempt at humor.
Other awards given out to students included “most likely to cry for every little thing,” “most likely to cheat,” and “most likely to blend in with white people.”
Sydney Cesar, a young black student, was the one who received the award for "most likely to blend in with white people." She along with her mother, Latonya Robinson, have spoken out as well.
Cesar told a local news station that the award made her feel "really embarrassed about what other people were going to say."
Her mother added that by giving out those awards, "the students are taking that and that's her label for the rest of the school year." Cesar, like Villanueva, didn't attend her last day of school because she was so distressed by the award.
Repercussions so far
According to Hernandez, Eric Lathan, the principal of the school, apologized personally during a meeting at the school. Channelview Independent School District spokesman Mark Kramer told KPRC the awards were attempts at light-hearted humor that weren’t “well thought out.”
In a statement released by the school district, they apologized "for the insensitive and offensive fake mock awards." They also emphasized that they were "not representative of the district’s vision, mission and educational goals for our students.” According to the district, the teachers have been disciplined “according to district policy” and this incident is still being investigated.
On the school's official website, each teacher has a web page, and Stacy Lockett's has been taken down.
Her LinkedIn page has been removed as well. People have taken to social media to express their outrage with this incident, describing it as insensitive, thoughtless, callous, among other things.
Hernandez has said that she wants the teachers in question to be fired, out of fear that they will “continue doing the same thing.” This is for good reason, seeing as this incident is not the first of its kind. Earlier, two teachers from Georgia were fired for giving out an offensive mock award to a student suffering from ADHD. The award was titled "“most likely to not pay attention.” The mother of the young girl, similar to Hernandez in this case, said that this award was "humiliating” and “derogatory.”
