A two-year-old black girl has been subjected to a “horrific” reenactment of Rosa Parks, with a lighter-skinned child “handcuffing” her in front of her peers in a Florida kindergarten classroom.
Civil rights group NAACP has shared shocking photos of the incident online as the Florida Department of Children and Families is called to investigate Building Brains Daycare in Saint Cloud, Osceola County.
In a letter to the department, the NAACP said the student was black 'subjected to an alarming simulation, during which she was handcuffed and fingerprinted by a white colleague in early December'.
The NAACP's national education director, Dr. Ivory Toldson, shared the photos on Facebook with the students' faces blurred. In unedited versions of the images seen by DailyMail.com, the children appear visibly disturbed and upset.
The toddler's outraged parents describe the lesson as 'horrific' and immediately remove her from school. The female teacher involved has not been named and continues to work at the daycare center.
A two-year-old black girl is subjected to a 'horrific' reenactment of Rosa Parks as a lighter peer 'handcuffs' her in a Florida kindergarten classroom
Civil rights group NAACP shared shocking photos of the incident on Facebook as the Florida Department of Children and Families is called to investigate Building Brains Daycare in Osceola County.
In a letter to the department, the NAACP said the two-year-old student was “subjected to an alarming simulation in early December during which she was handcuffed and fingerprinted by a white peer.”
Building Brains Daycare told DailyMail.com that the reenactment was a spontaneous incident and not a planned part of their curriculum, and that the teacher involved felt 'horrible' and has 'apologised profusely' to the child's parents.
They said there were “no physical limitations” in the classroom.
The toddler's parents, who did not want to be identified, said they first became aware of the incident after seeing their daughter's photos on the school app.
“Her hands were held behind her back as if she was in custody,” they told FOX 35.
'The next image was her hands being placed on a table as if she was being booked, and just the look on her face was horrifying.'
They added that “there are so many ways to teach the Rosa Parks story” and that they saw a change in their daughter after the incident.
“As we approached the school where the incident took place, she became very quiet and very reserved,” they said. 'But when we realized it, we had our daughter back. She was bubbly.”
The NAACP expressed “deep concern and profound disappointment over the disturbing incident” which it said would cause “psychological harm” to the student by reliving a “traumatic moment in American history.”
The letter also states that it will “explore all legal options to address this serious matter and ensure that such incidents are not repeated.”
The NAACP told DailyMail.com that the incident was “egregious” regardless of whether physical restraints were used or not.
“Under no circumstances is it acceptable for a two-year-old child to suffer emotional trauma inflicted by the educational institution,” they said.
“Regardless of whether or not physical handcuffs were used, Rosa Parks' role-play incident that occurred at Building Brains Academy is egregious.
“We will continue to call on this institution to issue a formal apology to the family, and that the Florida Department of Children and Families will investigate this incident to ensure it never happens again.” Our children deserve better.'
Building Brains Daycare told DailyMail.com that the reenactment was a spontaneous incident and not a planned part of their curriculum, and that the teacher involved felt 'horrible' and has 'apologised profusely' to the child's parents.
American civil rights activist Rosa Parks, Mug Shot, 1955
American civil rights activist Rosa Parks (center), riding a newly integrated bus following a Supreme Court ruling that ended the successful 381-day bus boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery
Rosa Parks (center), accompanied by her attorney, Charles D. Langford (right), and an unidentified sheriff's deputy, is on her way to jail. She is arrested on charges of violating city segregation laws that sparked a citywide boycott by Montgomery Negroes of the city bus line
Building Brains Daycare spokeswoman Sandi Poreda told DailyMail.com that the teacher feels “horrendous” about the incident and has “apologized profusely” to the child's parents.
“There was no malice or intent to harm anyone or exclude anyone or make them feel inferior,” she said.
Poreda added that the childcare center “fully investigated” the incident and “consulted” the teacher. Disciplinary measures are not excluded.
In a full statement, the daycare also said: “In early December, one of our classes at our multicultural school learned about the legacy of Rosa Parks and the importance of treating each other with respect and equality.
“In the spirit of the moment, the class spontaneously decided to reenact the elements of Ms. Parks' story, including her arrest for refusing to give up her seat at the front of the bus.
“Unfortunately, the photos shared from the activity do not provide a complete or accurate representation of the entire lesson on the importance of equal rights, nor do they make it clear that at no time was any form of coercion used against any student.”
“Because this activity was spontaneous and unplanned, it is not part of our authorized regular curriculum, and the administration had no prior knowledge of the incident,” she added.
“In light of the situation, we have reminded our entire faculty that any deviations from the approved curriculum, no matter how minor or unplanned, must first be approved by the school administration.
“We will continue to ensure that our students are exposed to a curriculum that celebrates equity and diversity.”