The father of a student whose teacher allegedly told her to “go back to Africa” when she didn’t participate in the Pledge of Allegiance is suing the Northside Independent School District, seeking damages of more than $1 million.
According to the lawsuit, filed in state district court by Lawrence Gaskin, his daughter, identified only as S.G., has suffered “ongoing emotional distress, anxiety and psychological trauma” since the incident at Hobby Middle School on May 16, 2023. The girl was 12 at the time.
The lawsuit names as defendants teacher Laura J. Bishop, Hobby principal Lawrence Carranco and the school district. It asserts that when the girl “was late standing up” for the morning pledge, the teacher remarked, “Well, why don’t you go back to Africa then?”…