Overview

• The Sept. 29 classroom video from Floral Avenue Elementary in Bartow shows the teacher singing an alternate birthday song with the line, “you look like a monkey.”
• Polk County Public Schools said district staff and human resources are reviewing the incident following complaints from the child’s mother, Desarae Prather.
• Union leader Stephanie Yocum said the teacher had not been suspended as of this week and has received death threats since the clip spread online.
• Prather said her son, Legend, was moved to a different classroom, has not returned to school, and she plans to transfer him while seeking counseling for him.
• The video’s circulation prompted national coverage and public debate over intent versus racial harm, with the family calling for disciplinary action and a written apology.