The white teacher accused of having pictures of nooses labeled “back-to-school necklaces” claims Black colleagues and school officials lambasted her “because of her race” in a new lawsuit filed in New York court.
According to documents obtained by The Daily Beast, 48-year-old Nancy Jones Doering identified herself as one of the educators involved in the incident that would lead to national outrage in February 2019 and an investigation.
The racist picture, which was part of a collage of images, was spotted in an unnamed teacher’s classroom at Roosevelt Middle School in Long Island, officials with the school district confirmed at the time.
The Roosevelt Union Free School District said they took “appropriate action” against an “isolated group of teachers” while not revealing their names. Reporters learned three teachers were suspended and two without tenure were later fired.
Documents claim Doering, who’s a longtime social students teacher, didn’t create the racially insensitive image and found it in another teacher’s classroom. The filing alleges Doering removed the image due to its offensive content and kept it locked away in a cabinet in her classroom. She was later pulled into a meeting and informed about her suspension, the suit reads.
The lawsuit states a hearing officer exonerated Doering of charges stemming from the investigation in October 2022. The court ordered the school district to reinstate her to her position, but administrators allegedly kept her from students while her colleagues continued to harass her over the incident. The filing noted that the Roosevelt Free Union School District “is primarily composed of Black and African American members, while Claimant is White.”
Reporters said the school district, the Roosevelt Board of Education, and at least 10 other individuals are listed as defendants in the lawsuit, which accuses them of racial discrimination, defamation, inflicting emotional distress, and other offenses.
The suit alleges they tried to paint Doering as a “a racist teacher in a community that is mostly composed of Black/African American members,” destroyed her reputation, and left her “living in constant anxiety, stress and daily fear to herself and her family.”
The Daily Beast reported that the school district had yet to file a formal response to Doering’s complaint as of Monday Jan. 15.
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