A Florida-based daycare center, Building Brains Academy, has come under intense scrutiny following an incident involving a two-year-old African-American girl who was photographed being handcuffed and fingerprinted by a Caucasian peer during a reenactment of the Rosa Parks incident.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has called for a state investigation into the incident, which it described as a "disturbing simulation."
The parents of the child, who wished to remain anonymous, discovered the incident when they received images via the school's app. They described their shock and horror to Fox 35, stating, "Her hands restrained behind her back as if she was being taken into custody. Then the next image was her hands being placed on a table as if she was being booked. The look on her face alone, it was horrific."
The parents believe their daughter is the only African-American child at the daycare. They quickly removed her from the center following the incident. The mother, while speaking with the director, expressed her belief that the teacher was not to blame but rather the curriculum of the facility.
The daycare center defended its actions, stating that the photographs did not accurately represent the full lesson about the importance of equal rights. "One of the classes in our multicultural school was learning about the legacy of Rosa Parks and the importance of treating each other with respect and equality," the school said in a statement. "In the spirit of the moment, the class spontaneously decided to act out the elements of Ms. Parks story, including her arrest for refusing to give up her seat at the front of the bus."
The school further stated that it believes in and teaches the importance of equality, standing up for rights, and speaking up when something isn't right. It expressed regret over the assumption that its teachers, leadership, or administration would intentionally make a child feel uncomfortable or singled out.
In response to the incident, the daycare center has advised all faculty members to seek approval from the school administration for any deviations from the approved curriculum, no matter how slight or unplanned. The school pledged to continue ensuring that its students are exposed to a curriculum that celebrates equality and diversity.
The parents, however, argue that there are numerous other ways to teach the Rosa Parks story. The father told WESH, "Restraining is restraining. You know our daughters hands were behind her back. The child that was restraining our daughter was in a police uniform."
The parents reached out to the NAACP and requested a change in the curriculum. The civil rights group has demanded an "immediate cessation of such activities within the curriculum at Building Brains Academy." It also stated that it would be "exploring all legal avenues to address this grave matter and ensure such incidents are not repeated."
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