Ohio Middle School Teacher Threatens 13-Year-Old Black Student With Lynching

A teacher from Ohio has been reprimanded and ordered to undergo cultural sensitivity training for telling a black student he would be lynched if he didn't stop talking in class and focus on his work.

Renee Thole, the eighth-grade social studies teacher at Mason Middle School, used the racist language when disciplining Nathan, a 13-year-old student. Tanish Agee-Bell, the boy's mother, said Thole shouldn't be in the classroom. But Gail Kist-Kline, superintendent of the Mason City Schools district, released a statement saying in part:

“We have seen an uptick in the number of racially and culturally insensitive comments in our schools and community. Sometimes these are said out of genuine ignorance. As a district, we want to be very clear, racial slurs or any behavior that discriminates against others are NOT acceptable.

“When adults act in a way that is not in line with our values, we lose trust. In our district we take corrective action to address these situations, but we need to do more. We will continue to invest in training and resources on culturally proficient practices for administrators, educators and classified staff members that lift up our district's values.”

According to the Washington Post, the teen was reluctant to inform her mother about the incident since he told Thole her comments were racist and he wanted to avoid further troubles.

"He was in class and the teacher told him that if he didn’t get on task his friends are going to form an angry mob and lynch you. When she said that, he said back to her, 'That’s racist.' She approached him and said, 'Why do you think that’s racist? I would never do anything to hurt you," says Bell, who wants Renee Thole to be fired reports Yahoo News.

Surprisingly, Thole admitted she made the racist comment and accepted was wrong adding she made that comment out of frustration because of his poor performance. In an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer, Bell asked, “Next time you are frustrated, are you going to call him a n!&&*#?”

The teacher reportedly apologized to the whole class saying that she did not know the history behind the comment. Nathan is no longer in her class, but Thole is still teaching at the same school and this makes Bell angry. She has filed a petition on Change.org seeking Thole to be fired.

According to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, “From 1882-1968, 4,743 lynching’s occurred in the United States. Of these people that were lynched 3,446 were black. The blacks lynched accounted for 72.7% of the people lynched. These numbers seem large, but it is known that not all of the lynchings were ever recorded.”