Facebook Arkansas teacher Karla Lasiter is on administrative leave after being accused of making a young Black student unclog a toilet with his hands.
Karla Lasiter is an Arkansas elementary school teacher who is accused of making a Black kindergarten student unclog a toilet full of feces with his bare hands, according to a social media post by his grandmother.
Lasiter was placed on administrative leave after she was accused of “making a 5-year-old student unclog a toilet with his hands,” according to KATV, which reported that the alleged incident occurred in the Pulaski County Special School District.
Lasiter works for Crystal Hill Elementary School, which is located in North Little Rock.
Heavy wrote Lasiter through her school email but has not yet received any comment.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Child’s Grandmother Says the Boy Is a ‘Young Black Male & This Was Done to Degrade Him’
FacebookTami Murry’s Facebook post about the alleged incident between Lasiter and Murry’s kindergarten grandson.
The boy’s grandmother, Tami Murry, wrote a lengthy post on Facebook about the incident:
PSA…I have been struggling with this since yesterday!!!! As I was on my way to a meeting I got a phone call, it was my middle daughter…Mother I have something to tell you and you are going to get very upset…I said okay, tell me…She said Ashton’s(my grandson) teacher made him put his hand in the commode and clean out his feces and tissue because he stopped up the commode. I said WHAT!!!! I told her let me get off the phone, I had arrived at my destination and started calling the elementary school(Crystal Hill Elementary)and PCSSD school board. When I got out of my meeting I called seven on your side and emailed Fox 16. The Superintendent of PCSSD called me at 6 something yesterday evening!! I want this teacher to never ever do this to another black male student again!!! This child is 5 years old in kindergarten!!! He is a young black male and this was done to degrade him, belittle him, and it will cause him to have anxiety, he keeps telling everyone what happened!!! I am not stopping until this is handled properly!!! We have to protect our black males but decent and in order!!!!! This woman had the nerve to say she didn’t know why she did it after admitting to it!!!! Lord Jesus, help our teachers and allow only those with no hidden agendas and a love for children to become teachers…I don’t know if it’s racism or pure dislike for him, but something isn’t right!!!!! Please keep up with what is going on with your young children in the classroom…ask them questions daily!!!
Fox26 reported that a second mother said a similar thing happened to her daughter last fall under a different teacher at the same school and was told “there would be an investigation.”
2. The School District Says It Is ‘Actively Investigating’ the Allegation Against Lasiter
FacebookKarla Lasiter.
According to KATV, the school district said in a statement that it is “‘actively investigating’ the allegation.”
“Employees across the district work hard every day to create an environment where students feel safe and protected,” the statement said, according to KATV.
Lasiter is still listed on the school’s website as a kindergarten teacher in the Learning Services department.
In 2018-2019, she was listed in school district documentation as earning more than $57,000 a year.
3. The Boy’s Mother Says He Was Told He Used Too Much Toilet Paper
Pinterest/Karla LasiterKarla Lasiter in a photo from Pinterest.
Ashley Murry, the child’s mother, told KATV that “his teacher at Crystal Hill Elementary School made him clean out a toilet with his hands because he had used too much toilet paper.”
She said the teacher apologized and she had her son moved to a different class, according to the television station, Fox26 News.
“I feel like she needs to be trained, suspended or terminated or something because that’s unacceptable,” she told the station. “I want my son to be in a safe environment, a good environment.”
Lasiter helped incorporate a for-profit organization in 2004 but the charter was forfeited, state records show. Her mother’s obituary indicates that Lasiter is married to the man she incorporated the business with, Jake Lasiter.
4. Lasiter Was Quoted in a Previous Article About Keeping Kids Safe During the Pandemic
FacebookKarla Lasiter.
Lasiter was quoted in a September 2020 article by KATV about how students were adjusting to wearing masks.
“I’m so used to just getting down on the floor, calling groups of kids down and mixing the kids up,” she said to the television station.
“They know there is a pandemic, and we’ve talked about if they don’t feel good it’s important to stay home,” she said.
The article said that “teachers like Lasiter … want parents to know they’re doing their best to keep their little ones safe.”
5. Lasiter Doesn’t Have Much of a Social Media Presence
Facebook/Pulaski County Special School DistrictKarla Lasiter in a 2017 photo from Crystal Hill Elementary School.
Lasiter doesn’t have much of a social media presence, but she has been featured in various social posts over the years. A Facebook page in her name was deleted. She does have a Pinterest page with boards like “classroom fun ideas.” Her Instagram page, the profile of which shows her holding an electric guitar, is private.
The Pulaski County Special School District posted a now-deleted picture of Lasiter with a plate over the back of her head in 2017, writing on Facebook, “Kindergarten teacher Karla Lasiter celebrates Backwards Day at CRYSTAL HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL during Read Across America week! #RISEArkansas.”
In 2019, Lasiter was featured in a now-deleted Facebook post by the Jazzercise-Little Rock Fitness Center that read, “Happy birthday, Karla Perkins Lasiter! Congratulations on getting your 50th anniversary bag on your 50th!!!”
The Jazzercise center also wrote in another post that has been deleted, “This cute and sassy little thing took her 150th class tonight! So glad you are feeling better and back at jazz ’cause we have missed your smiling face! Congrats to Karla Perkins Lasiter.”
READ NEXT: Video Clip of Meghan Markle Speaking With Oprah Winfrey