‘Poor judgment’: Southborough teacher on paid leave after holding a mock slave auction

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. — Nom, who declined to give her last name for privacy reasons, is the parent of a child in the Southborough elementary school class where a mock slave auction was held.

“It’s unfortunate. It’s very concerning,” says Nom.

And she tells Boston 25 News she’s upset.

“It’s concerning. When it comes to that sometimes it’s just poor judgment,” said Nom.

She says the teacher at the Margaret A. Neary school who taught this lesson has been very supportive of her son.

“From experience, the teacher was actually a great teacher. My son had good experiences with that specific teacher which is why this was very shocking,” she said.

Boston 25 News obtained a letter sent to parents by Southborough Superintendent Gregory L. Martineau. It says in part:

“The educator held an impromptu mock slave auction. The educator asked two children sitting in front of the room, who were of color, to stand, and the educator and class discussed physical attributes (i.e., teeth and strength).”

That was in January. The district says a second incident happened when the same teacher was reading to the class from a book. Superintendent Martineau said:

“In reading and discussing the text, the educator used the ‘N-word.’ It was later brought to the District’s attention that the ‘N-word’ does not appear in the book.”

Nom says even though she supports the teacher, she finds that disturbing.

“It’s unacceptable. I mean the point is that if it wasn’t in the book why was it even said,” said Nom.

Nom says the school district should follow the disciplinary process and when they have all the information, make a determination based on existing policies.

The district tells Boston 25 that the teacher is on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

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