A former Bronx teacher is suing the city of New York for a whopping $1 billion over discrimination she feels she faced over a lesson she taught on slavery.
Patricia Cummings announced Thursday her plans to sue the New York City Department of Education and many others for $1 billion after a school investigation found that there was no proof that she placed her knee in the back of a student while teaching a slavery lesson.
According to Cummings, she made her students at William W Niles School/MS 118 in the Bronx sit close together on the floor last January to show them how slaves used to sit on slave ships.
However, at the time, students claimed Cummings singled out black students and told them to lie face-down on the floor and stepped on the back of at least one of the students and said, “How does it feel? See how it feels to be a slave.” She was later terminated after the school district accused her of using poor judgment. But Cummings believes she was discriminated against because she’s white.
“They’re on the record for saying the reason I’m being terminated is because of my performance as an educator and the report,” she said. “My performance as an educator, I’ve been rated effective by the Department of Education. I’m an effective teacher.”
The ex-teacher is preparing to sue for discrimination, distress, and suffering.
“Ms. Cummings is a dedicated and competent teacher, who should never have been subjected to these false accusations, which have damaged her career and her reputation,” attorney Thomas Liotti said. “This is a case of blatant reverse discrimination.”
In a statement the Department of Education said,
“Ms. Cummings was terminated based on a thorough investigation and a review of her performance as an educator. We’ll review the complaint.”
The New York City law department also said it will review the lawsuit once its filed, ABC7 reports.
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