New York Private School Accused Of Not Handling Diversity After Student's Racial Slurs

Diversity may be a core value at Mary McDowell Friends School, an elite private school in Brooklyn Heights, New York, but that didn’t keep one student from making racial slurs towards other students on two separate occasions. His actions, which included calling one child at “n****r” and stating “all Muslims are terrorists,” led the student leaving the institution.

However, his punishment did not come swiftly enough for many. After the student's latest racial slur incident last month, school officials stated some staffers stayed home the following day to protest his behavior at the multicultural school community. Students spoke about how the staff generally is hesitant to address those who do not appreciate differences, with one pupil telling The Daily News, "All of our administrators are white and they just sweep it under the rug."

Mary McDowell Friends School spokesperson told The Daily News, “There is no place at our school for any kind of bias. Hate speech and hateful behavior are antithetical to everything we believe in as a school and as a community."

Prior to the student’s actions, two other private schools in New York dealt with something similar. Recently, an offensive video went viral at Ethical Culture Fieldston School in the Bronx, just weeks after another video sparked outcry at Brooklyn’s Poly Prep Country Day School.