Teacher faces suspension for alleged remarks

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A Broward County high school teacher could face several days of suspension for something she has been accused of telling a student.

That student claims 46-year-old Leslie Rainer made a racist remark to him. Tuesday afternoon, the Broward County School District superintendent, Robert Runcie, delayed judgment, as, he said, he preferred not to rush to judgment in this case. "I'd like to request that the board defer this item to give me an opportunity to review it in more detail," he said during the school board meeting.

Blanche Ely High School principal said he wants to see her suspended for three days from teaching, without pay. She stands accused of insulting an alleged Haitian student. She appeared at the administrative offices of the Broward School District Tuesday morning expecting to see judgment that day.

While at the school district, Rainer spoke to the media. "I have not insulated any Haitian people," she noted. "It was a thorough investigation. I did not say anything, and the kid is not a Haitian student. He's an American student. He's my husband's relative. The whole thing is a misunderstanding from the principal ... There was never a Haitian comment made."

When her case was brought before the school board, she had to listen to a Haitian activist from Miami react to news reports that the boy was of Haitian descent, though he has no firsthand, personal experience with the incident. "We must go beyond suspension," Jean Robert LaFortune said. "If you allow that instructor in remain in the classroom, she is risky business."

She has said all along the accusations stem from a big misunderstanding. "I was referring to the chocolate on my desk," she said during an interview the day before.

However, based on a school district document the word "chocolate" is at the center of a racist remark the student has accused her of saying. Last week, Rainer, a reading teacher at the Pompano Beach high school told a student: "Look, little chocolate boy."

When asked if she ever called the boy chocolate, Rainer replied, "No, I did not."

Further on, the document also accuses Rainer of telling the student he was "chocolate that nobody wanted." Rainer admitted she said the word "chocolate" in the conversation because the student wanted candy on her desk.

While presenting her case before the school board she shared glowing letters from students, including one student from Haiti who called her "the most loving and kindest person I know."

Rainer has been in the classroom for the past 22 years. This incident is not the first time Rainer has found herself in trouble and on the defensive. In 2010, Rainer was cleared of any wrongdoing after she and another teacher were accused of pretending to sprinkle holy water on an atheist colleague.

The district has said they have spoken to this teacher twice before about inappropriate comments she made to students. Therefore, this time, she may also be recommended to complete diversity training.

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