Viral Video Shows 6-Year-Old Hispanic Child Outside Locked Door During Graduation; Texas School Responds

The parents of a 6-year-old Hispanic student at a Texas school recently said he was segregated from other children during a kindergarten graduation ceremony. Video of the incident showed the distressed child watching his friends through a locked glass door at Michael S. Ryan Elementary in Laredo.

The school administration and the Laredo Independent School District (ISD) have responded to the allegations. Both have denied the parents’ claims and said the student was included in all graduation-day activities.

“The information being shared about today’s kindergarten graduation is not accurate. All students fully participated in the event,” Michael S. Ryan Elementary said in an official statement.

The Laredo ISD echoed similar sentiments and said, “We would like to clarify that the student fully participated in all the kindergarten graduation day activities, including the processional, the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, singing the class song, turning the tassel from right to left, walking on stage to receive his diploma, and photo opportunities with his peers.”

The graduation ceremony took place on March 16. Details of the alleged discrimination were first shared by the student’s aunt, Nallely Esquivel, on social media.

Esquivel posted a video showing the kid kneeling beside a glass door to watch his friends graduate. Another clip showed the student waiting at the library with his parents while the ceremony continued.

Esquivel also shared her nephew struggles with global developmental delay. The child's father, Rigo Contreras, later said that they were called to the school at 9 a.m., while the rest of the students arrived at 7 a.m. He said the school authorities were concerned about his son being too hyperactive, which is why the family was called at a later time.

Even after arriving at school, the child and his parents allegedly had to wait at an empty library for around 20 minutes. The child was eventually called and was allowed to walk on the stage. However, according to Contreras, his son was forced to miss breakfast activities with his classmates.

While the incident has sparked outrage on social media, there are no reports of investigation into the matter or any action against the school. Meanwhile, a similar case of alleged discrimination has surfaced at another Texas school.

A mother, Teresa Garcia, has claimed that her biracial daughter is being denied entry to her final exams by Hondo High School because of her hair color. Garcia said her daughter, a 10th-grader, wears box braids in auburn-red color. According to her, other students and even teachers at the school have colored hair, but none have faced discrimination like hers.

Earlier in 2023, another school graduation in Texas made headlines because of apparent discriminatory policies. About 20 students of Summer Creek High School in Houston were asked to remove their traditional Mexican stoles. The students said they wore the stoles to honor their heritage, but a school administrator snatched them away just before they took the stage.