01
A pressured request on the bus
Our family says that, on the morning bus ride on October 2, another student
urged our son to ask an African American classmate, “Do you want chicken?”
Our son says he asked why he should say it and did not understand an alleged
racial association. He says he eventually complied because a popular peer
insisted and framed it as a favor.
Our family says we learned the phrase was being treated as offensive only
during the school’s questioning. We later searched online to understand the
cultural context the school said was relevant.
02
Disagreement about what the record says
Our family disputes a written account attributed to school administrators.
As we understand it, the record says our son knew the phrase was racist but
considered it “slightly racist.” We say he did not know of that association
when he spoke and that the written account does not reflect his explanation.
We are asking the school to review the original notes and statements, correct
any inaccuracies, and make sure its records distinguish what was reported
from what has been established.
03
A family concerned about the questioning
Our son told us that administrators repeatedly interrupted him and accused
him of lying. Our family reports that staff said words including “Don’t lie”
and “I don’t trust you,” and asked whether his parents said racist things at
home or whether something was wrong with his brain.
We believe those questions and reported remarks were intimidating and
inappropriate. A child should be able to explain what happened without being
demeaned or having their family’s character presumed.
04
Questions about a complete investigation
Our son says another student pressured him and that the two interacted on
the bus. Our family believes the school did not investigate that account as
thoroughly as it investigated our son’s conduct. We asked that available bus
footage be reviewed; we do not know whether footage was retained or reviewed.
We are concerned about whether every student’s account was assessed
consistently. We cannot determine from our perspective why the school made
its decisions, and we are asking for a transparent explanation.
05
Culture, context, and equal respect
Our family speaks Chinese at home. In our household, chicken is an ordinary
food; our son says he understood the words as a question about food, not as
a racial insult. We recognize that words may carry different meanings to
different people, and we believe both impact and intent should be considered
carefully and with cultural understanding.
We are asking the school to treat our family’s East Asian background with
the same care and respect it expects students to show one another, while
taking the receiving student’s experience seriously too.
06
Consequences for school, work, and records
Our family says our son received a severe suspension from school and the
bus. The loss of transportation made school attendance difficult and
required his father to miss work to care for him and manage transportation.
Our family reports a direct loss of income.
We are also concerned that missed classes may have affected evaluations in
science, band, and math, and that an unresolved disciplinary entry could
prejudice future decisions. We are asking for academic impacts and school
records to be reviewed and corrected where appropriate.