Dallas Parent Wants School Employee Fired Over 'Monkey' Comment

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A Dallas mom is pushing for a Dallas ISD staff member to be fired.

Brittany Miner said the Edna Rowe Elementary School employee first called her son a monkey then associated the term with his appearance three weeks ago.

A DISD spokesperson said that staff member has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

"He was jumping around, playing, 5-year-old kid behavior," Miner said. "As she approached us and got closer she was like 'oh he's running around, he's like a little monkey'."

Miner said she told the staff member it's not okay to call him a monkey.

"She then proceeded to say 'Oh look at his little face," Miner said.

Miner said she was willing to give the employee the benefit of the doubt after the first comment, but believes commenting on her son's appearance afterwards was racist.

"That lets me know that she doesn't have any regard to what she was saying to people of color," Miner said.

She now wants to see the staffer fired.

She's asked an attorney to help her.

"We want to make sure that an employee like that is not around children of color or children in general," attorney Justin Moore said.

Moore said if the employee is not fired they're going to explore a civil rights lawsuit.

CBS 11 asked DISD what the staffer had to say about the allegations against her.

The district said it could not comment. The employee could not be found for comment.