A school district in Texas is investigating two middle school special education teachers who made a practice of handing out “Ghetto Awards” to students they taught.
A student who attends Sulphur Springs Middle School brought home one of the certificates this week. It read:
?8th Annual Ghetto Classroom Awards?
The certificate also stated that the student had earned a special “Huh?” award for his confusion in class. All of the students who got similar awards were enrolled in supportive services for children with learning disabilities.
?Jerrika Wilkins, the mother of one of the children who received a “Ghetto Award” remarked:
?(I) felt angry and a bit confused as to what was meant by ?ghetto. He feels pretty inferior. You know, he wants to succeed. You know, [the award]?just kind of hurt his feelings.?
Sulphur Springs Independent School District superintendent Michael Lamb described his reaction to the learning that some teachers were handing out awards of this type:
?Shocked. Shocked. Truly, it goes in layers.?You kind of ask yourself, had anything else been used, the ?teacher’s name? award, would it start to seem more acceptable. The ?huh?? award just begs questions. And then the 8th annual brings questions too. It’s my understanding the same award was given last year to up to 60 kids.?
The two teachers who reportedly handed out “Ghetto Awards” have been identified as Tim Couch and Stephanie Garner. It should be noted that Couch also works as?pastor at the Cross Branch Cowboy Church in Sumner,?Texas.
Debra Jose, the grandmother of one of the special ed students, says such a humiliating award reminds her of growing up under Jim Crow segregation:
?Back in the day, when I was growing up, they segregated us. They put us in a part where they said we were ?ghetto.? If [the teacher]?knew what ghetto meant, she would have never approached that, because, being an African-American, we were always thrown that.?
Just as it was wrong to discriminate against anyone in those days, it is just as wrong today. These teachers had to know better. And even though they claim to have told students the awards were “all in fun,” there is absolutely nothing the least bit funny about degrading another human being, especially a child.
