MILTON – The final days of elementary school are often filled with a mix of joy and tears and commemorative events. But at Tucker Elementary School, that jubilation has been marred by the discovery of the n-word in a classroom dictionary by a group of stunned fifth-graders.
The slur along with a definition was published in an outdated French-English translation dictionary, likely donated to the school. One student uttered the derogatory word aloud in a small group in a French immersion classroom earlier this month out of earshot of the teacher, according to an email the district sent to parents Thursday.
The incident has raised concerns among many parents and exposed growing frustration that racial incidents continue to occur in Milton, even at Tucker, long proud of having the most racially and economically diverse student population in the Milton Public Schools.
While the district is taking steps to address the incident, many parents say they want stronger, sustained commitments from the district to address racial discrimination in the schools. They launched a website, Milton Reckoning, which includes several demands to prevent racial incidents and properly address them if they occur.
“To me it’s not about this incident, it’s about the pattern of incidents,” said Somaneh Diemé, the parent who created the website on behalf of parents and whose son attends the fifth grade at Tucker. ”How do we respond to it and how do we protect each other?”
The dictionary’s entry for the n-word also included “a racist and offensive definition,” according to an email the school’s principal sent to families of fifth-graders in the French immersion program earlier this month that was obtained by the Globe.
“We recognize the weight, history, and impact of this racial slur and understand how deeply hurtful it can be,” Celeste Hoeg, the principal, wrote. “The presence of this language in a school resource is unacceptable.”
On Wednesday, scores of parents and community members from different racial backgrounds showed up at dismissal wearing red shirts — the school color — to show solidarity with Black students. It’s not how many parents envisioned the school year ending for their children, especially fifth-graders who will be heading to middle school next fall.
“For fifth-graders this will be one of the last memories they will leave Tucker with,” Diemé said, as he proudly scanned the turnout creating a sea of red on the playground. “We just want to support the kids, show them we care, and we are united.”
Racial controversy has become all too familiar in Milton, a middle-class community along the borders of Dorchester and Mattapan.
In 2020, a backlash emerged after a middle school teacher was suspended for referencing police racism during a lesson following the killing of George Floyd. A year later, Pierce Middle School students walked out after a student said a racial slur in an online video. And in 2023, the district got hit with a discrimination lawsuit involving a math program geared for students from marginalized racial groups.
Several parents say their children also have encountered racial slurs at Tucker, even though diversity and inclusion are widely embraced there.
“It’s unacceptable for this to be a rite of passage for Black students in Milton or anywhere,” said Vernée Wilkinson, who has a child at Tucker. “More proactive measures need to be put into place.”
Milton is not the only district grappling with discrimination as the school year winds down.
Lynnfield parents have been pushing district leaders to do more to address racial incidents, including racial slurs and bullying, which have persisted despite efforts by the district to prevent them. A new incident emerged Thursday evening at Lynnfield High School where a racial slur targeting Black people was found written on a bathroom stall door, prompting a school district and police investigation, according to an email Lynnfield’s superintendent sent to the community that night, which was obtained by the Globe.
Milton also has launched an internal investigation into the Tucker School incident. John Phelan, Milton’s interim superintendent, said the district is working with Tucker families to address their concerns and agreed to form a working group of educators and families to execute an action plan, including a review of district policies.
“We acknowledge that there is clearly more work to be done to ensure that every child feels safe, welcome, and supported, and to ensure that any racist behavior or language will be addressed swiftly and thoroughly,” he said in a statement to the Globe.
Phelan said he could only share limited information, citing privacy concerns, but noted an investigation determined staff adhered to district policies and procedures. The dictionary, he said, has been removed from the classroom. The district is now conducting a review of books in all the schools.
When the incident first came to light, parents were frustrated about the school’s lack of communication and rumors swirled about what happened.
Initially, the school only notified parents in the French immersion program, according to parents, resulting in confusion among other parents left out.
Lauren Brown, a parent, said broader communication would have been helpful. Her child is Black, but is not in the French immersion program, leaving her to rely on word of mouth rather than concrete details from a school communication.
”The cost of staying silent is that you now have eroded trust," she said. “There’s no transparency.“
Many parents and other community members are seeking eight demands to foster a more supportive learning environment for students of all racial backgrounds across the entire school district, such as a formal and transparent racial incident response protocol, anti-racism training for staff, and mandatory anti-racism education for white students and their families, according to their website, Milton Reckoning.
“This is not a Black problem,” according to the website. ”The children who appear to need support are the white children who, in many cases, have not been taught the history, weight, and consequence of racist language and behavior.”
The quick mobilization is reminiscent of the boon in community activism in Milton six years ago amid a nationwide racial reckoning, said Régine Jean-Charles, a Milton resident and director of Africana Studies at Northeastern University.
“I’m elated that parents are actively engaged and inspired to start a new initiative,” she said, but added it’s frustrating that the cycle of racial incidents hasn’t stopped, despite previous attempts. “We should not have to keep re-inventing the wheel over and over again.”
James Vaznis can be reached at james.vaznis@globe.com. Follow him @globevaznis.