A 6-year-old boy’s birthday celebration was marred by his teacher’s “unacceptable” behavior, his mother said.
A video of a teacher singing an alternative version of the “Happy Birthday” song to a Black student went viral after it was posted by the student’s mother.
The incident took place on September 29 at Floral Avenue Elementary School in Bartow, Florida.
Highlights
- A boy's celebration at a Florida school sparked outrage after a teacher sang an alternative “funny” version of the Happy Birthday song.
- The video went viral and ignited a debate over whether the song was racially insensitive.
- The school launched a review, while the mother says her son was deeply hurt and may need counseling.
Image credits: zettaaloaf
The clip begins with students sitting around the birthday boy at a table as the teacher leads the class in singing the classic “Happy Birthday” song.
After they finish, the teacher asks the boy whether he would like her to sing the “funny” song. The boy, reportedly named Legend, nods, and the teacher begins singing the song.
“OK, it goes like this,” she says. “Happy birthday to you. You live in the zoo. You look like a monkey, and you smell like one, too.”
Image credits: zettaaloaf
The video ends with the teacher encouraging Legend’s classmates to clap for him.
The boy’s mother, Desarae Prather, told The Ledger that the teacher, who does not appear in the video, is white.
The teacher emailed a copy of the clip to Prather on the day of the celebration. Outraged by her behavior, Prather later posted the video on Instagram and TikTok.
The teacher emailed the video to the boy's mom, who posted it on social media
Image credits: zettaaloaf
On social media, the clip has received millions of views, with several users accusing the teacher of having racial motivations for singing the song.
“This is not acceptable,” one person fumed.
“Stop traumatizing our kids and thinking it’s funny,” someone else penned.
“She needs to be ashamed of herself to say that about a child,” added a third.
"That song is from Madagascar. She didn’t mean anything by it,” another person commented, while someone else said it was a common song.
However, some viewers argued that Madagascar was a film about animals, not people, and that the song was inappropriate given that the teacher is white and the student is Black.
Image credits: winnievinzence/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
As she saw it, the teacher had humiliated her son in front of his classmates.
The furious mother added, “No child should have to go to school and feel like they can't confide in an authority figure without them calling them racial slurs, and that goes for any kid, not just my child.”
Prather didn’t write back to the teacher and instead filed a complaint directly to the school. She said school employees told her they could do nothing except relay her complaint to the Polk County Public Schools office.
The 6-year-old's mother called the teacher's actions "unacceptable"
Image credits: Studio Romantic/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
“As a public school system we serve students and families of all cultures and backgrounds; we expect our employees to always keep that in mind as they interact with others,” the statement read.
Legend’s mother said her son does not want to return to school because his feelings are hurt and he fears being called a “monkey.” She also said she would seek counseling for the 6-year-old, who cried at the thought of having to go back to the school.
Yocum stressed the importance for the teacher receiving a fair investigation and due process before people jump to conclusions about her intentions.
Prather wants the teacher to be fired over the alternative “Happy Birthday” song she sang to her child.
“I feel like she should own up to her actions. I feel like she should write an apology to my son and my family, because it was unacceptable, and my son is going to be traumatized for life.”
While some said it was simply a "funny song" popular with kids, others called the teacher "racist"
