Black Virginia middle schooler says substitute forced him to pick COTTON during classroom game

A black Virginia middle school student has accused his substitute teacher of ‘forcing’ him to play a ‘racist’ classroom game which involves ‘picking cotton’ with his nose.

Sidney Rousey is the only black student in his eighth-grade class, and claims he felt pressured to participate in the controversial activity at Gunston Middle School last week.

After hearing of the bizarre activity, Keisha Kirkland, Rousey’s mother, immediately went to the school to demand an explanation slamming the substitute for being ‘insensitive.’

Holding back emotion, Rousey explained the ordeal to ABC 7 News and said he ‘didn’t want to play the game’ but ‘didn’t want to get in trouble’ either.

Black Virginia middle school student, Sidney Rousey, has accused his substitute teacher of ‘forcing’ him to play a ‘racist’ classroom game which involves ‘picking cotton’ with his nose

‘We’re supposed to put the Vaseline on our nose and pick cotton,’ he told the outlet of the activity known as ‘nosedive’ which originated from NBC game show ‘Minute to Win It.’

‘I remember she asked for volunteers, and then everybody looked at me in the class. [The teacher] was looking at me and forcing me to go up there to play the game.

‘I didn’t really want to, but I didn’t want to get in trouble with the teacher. So, I went up there to play the game.’

Nosedive originated from the Minute to Win It Television game show and the goal is to transfer cotton balls from one bowl to another. 

In order to do this, participants are required to use only their nose, which has been slathered with petroleum jelly.

Kirkland said she ‘didn’t know what emotion to bring first’ when confronting the administration about the game which she said ‘hurt’ her son’s feelings.

‘I didn’t know whether to be hurt, upset, angry, mad. It was a whole bunch of feelings,’ Kirkland said.

‘I came right back to the school the same day, spoke with the counselor, the teacher, separately.

‘I spoke with the teacher first, and the teacher was not willing to accept the wrongness, she wasn’t willing to accept the insensitive [nature] of the situation.

‘She just wasn’t accepting [of] his feelings and how he was hurt, she just wanted me to know they were having a whole lot of fun.’

After hearing of the bizarre activity, Keisha Kirkland, Rousey’s mother, immediately went to the school to demand an explanation slamming the substitute for being ‘insensitive’

Arlington Public Schools said in a statement to the outlet that the ‘team-building’ activity was ‘optional’

Kirkland said she was told that the game was on a list of acceptable games to play handed down by the school district.

Arlington Public Schools said in a statement to the outlet that the ‘team-building’ activity was ‘optional.’

‘The activity, called ‘nosedive,’ was part of a list of optional team-building activities for 8th grade Gunston students to foster collaboration,’ the statement reads.

‘Gunston administrators held a meeting with the student and parent to discuss their concerns and are investigating what occurred and how this activity was presented to students by the staff member.

‘The investigation is ongoing. Gunston Middle School is committed to fostering a learning environment that is inclusive, safe, and supportive for all, and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.’

The school added that Rousey had not been the only student to participate in the game, despite his claims that he had been.

‘Other students participated. The activity featured a player from each team taking turns,’ the statement reads.

‘Using only their nose, the players were challenged to move the cotton balls one at a time from one end of the table to a bowl at the other end of the table.

‘The object was [to] see who could move the most cotton balls.’

After Kirkland spoke with the substitute teacher, who remains nameless, Rousey felt again singled out.

‘She shut the door and she started, I would say, attacking me, saying, ‘Am I a racist?” Rousey told ABC 7 News.

She then went on to ask Rousey if she had been ‘racist’ in front of his entire class. Kirkland said that she spoke to Gunston leaders who were appalled by the incident and are investigating.

‘They immediately took him out of the class, they felt our pain, they were hurting for us,’ she said.

After Kirkland spoke with the substitute teacher, who remains nameless, Rousey felt again singled out. The teacher called him out in class asking if she’d been ‘racist’

Kirkland said she was told that the game was on a list of acceptable games to play handed down by the school district

‘That’s what I needed, that’s what I needed for my son, I needed him to understand as a village, we all stand together as one. He didn’t get that on Wednesday [when the incident took place].’

Rousey has since been removed from the class and is taking the class with a guidance counselor, unable to drop it completely because he needs the credit to graduate. He says he still feels regret taking part in the game.

‘I knew a little bit about cotton and black people,’ he said.

‘At the time, I knew about it, but in the moment it’s like I didn’t know. Now that I realize it, it made me feel even worse for playing the game.

‘I knew this month was Black History Month, and I felt like people don’t really care about our history. It makes me sad this happened to me [during] this month.’

Gunston and school district leaders are yet to provide answers to the boy and his family.

‘We have a long way to go, we have a very long way to go,’ explained Kirkland.

‘I don’t think it will be over, I never would have thought in a million years that I would have had to be standing here.

‘You don’t judge a book by its cover and for me to teach them this and this happens to him, it knocks down everything I try to carve out for all of my children. That hurts.’

Supportive parents and Twitter users showed their support for the young boy and mother, many appalled by the incident. 

One user said: ”Approving’ a demeaning game. Somebody tell me what country and century we are in! Applause to this young man and his mother for speaking out.’

Supportive parents and Twitter users showed their support for the young boy and mother, many appalled by the incident

Another said: ‘This game is outrageous in this day and time. This substitute teacher has forever left a negative mark on this young person’s mind. Shame on this school and this teacher.’

One mother went as far as to call the incident ‘abuse.’ 

She wrote: ‘OMG I can’t with this. The mother’s look I can absolutely relate to as a protective mother, except I can’t really, can I, in the way of that racial personal pain. I swear. 

‘This is some kind of inexcusable and vile abuse. This is abuse. period.’