Family outraged after girl receives monkey, toilet with fake poop as prize gift from school
Parents defend school after girl received monkey, toilet with fake poop as prize
After a school fundraiser prize caused controversary, with some calling the gift racist. Some parents are now defending the Long Beach school, saying that they were notified about the prizes in advance.
LONG BEACH, Calif. - A family in Long Beach is demanding answers after a girl won a bizarre prize at her school's fundraiser.
The prize that is causing outrage among the family is a toy monkey and toilet with fake poop.
What they're saying:
Genesis Thomas, a 5th grader at Mann Elementary School, helped raise $160 for the school's fundraiser. After participating in the fundraiser, her teacher gifted her a prize. But once her family saw that prize, they were outraged, saying it was unacceptable.
School prize causes commotion among family
PREVIOUS: A family is demanding an apology and answers after a little girl received what they say is an inappropriate prize from the school.
"It was the prize that she received that we found inappropriate. The prize was a monkey and a toilet with poop in it. African Americans have been referred to as monkeys throughout history and for her to receive a monkey… it's unacceptable, just unacceptable," said her great uncle, Craig Polk.
Genesis is unfazed by the gift, but her family wants answers and an apology. They reached out to the school's principal on Friday and again on Monday, and have not heard any response.
What we don't know:
The family said there were several other gifts given to students, but they say no one else received this kind of gift. The highest prize was a mini fridge.
The family says it's unclear if she was targeted due to her race.
The other side:
In a statement to FOX 11, the Long Beach Unified School District said that it is aware of the family's concerns and apologized "for any hurt or frustration this situation may have caused."
While the district said that while the fundraiser prizes were meant to "provide lighthearted and fun rewards for students, we recognize that this particular item was not appropriate for our school setting."
But, the district pushed back against the family's claim that Genesis was the only one to receive this particular reward, and that "all prizes and their corresponding donation levels were communicated to families in advance."
Other families also reached out to FOX 11 to defend the school, reiterating that the information on the fundraiser and prizes was distributed to families weeks ahead of time.
"The fact of the matter is it was all laid out from the very start," said Laura, the mom of a student at the school. "And if there really was a problem with this toy… then there was an opportunity to remove yourself, if you didn't feel like you could support this.