A catholic school in Portland, Oregon, has issued an apology for expelling a black boy who was called a racial slur by his classmates. At the time of the incident, the parents, Karis Stoudamire-Phillips and Mike Phillips, met with the school principal, who was later fired.
The principal called 911 on the parents without addressing the issue. The parents of the black boy went public with their version of the incident and explained what happened at The Madeleine School. They gained support from the parents of fellow classmates and the online community.
After the School issued an apology, the duo updated their statement, adding, ‘ When we shared our story publicly, we asked the school for three things: an apology, acknowledgement of their wrongdoing, and accountability for how to make sure this would not happen again.’
10 year old Black boy called ‘n-word’ at school—when parents complained school called 911 to send police to remove them.
72 hours later private school expelled 4th grade Black victim—effective immediately.
“As African American male, having the police called on you historically… pic.twitter.com/lw8xFb40x6
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) May 1, 2025
They further added that they accept the School’s apology, appreciating the acknowledgement of the racist and unfair behavior toward them and their child. They stated, ‘The community deserves better. We agree that it is time to move forward. All matters between us and the School have now been resolved.’
In March, their ten-year-old son was racially bullied by his classmates, who called him the N-word. Upon meeting the previous principal, Tresa Rast, there was no resolution. The meeting was devolved and she called police on them to remove them from the premises.
Philips added that they are aware of American history, for instance, when unarmed black people are approached by the police. The principal used power over them and put them in a position where they didn’t know what could happen.
UPDATE:
Principal Fired After Calling Police on Black Parents Over Racism Complaint
Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey
Tresa Rast, principal of The Madeleine School, was terminated after calling police on Mike Phillips and Karis Stoudamire-Phillips for addressing a racist… pic.twitter.com/WuIpbpNC8W— 📰Poli-Tical 📲Twitzerland.net🚨 (@TwitzerlandNet) June 7, 2025
After the parents’ visit to the School, their son was expelled and asked to enroll elsewhere. This ended up causing uproar among the community, and other kids’ parents threatened to withdraw their children from the School. Rast was later fired from her job.
She wanted to make amends with her parents. Philips also signed a confidential agreement that demanded the School’s public apology and acceptance of the wrongdoing. Their son is now enrolled in another Catholic school.
