A teenage boy has claimed that his teacher told him his "Black King" t-shirt was racist and called for a "White History Month".
Latrell Taft, a 13-year-old from Edmond in Oklahoma, told local news outlet KFOR that a female teacher, whose name has not been disclosed, took issue with his attire during a chemistry lesson last Tuesday (February 23).
The seventh-grader said his teacher told him that it would be a double standard to allow him to wear his t-shirt, which he says was a birthday gift.
Latrell told the outlet: "I’m proud of my Blackness and she will never take it away from me. I’m a king, 'cause I think I’m a king.
"She said that if she had a shirt that said white queen, it would have been racist. Then after that, she said we need a white history month."
"I said Black people don’t have enough recognition, and we barely learn about Black people in February at my school. I was embarrassed."
Latrell told the outlet that he was outnumbered as most of his fellow students at Heartland Middle School sided with their teacher and felt that the t-shirt, which had an outline of Africa, was inappropriate.
Later that day when he went home, Latrell told his mother Melissa Shirley what had happened and she quickly got in contact with the school.
Susan Parks-Schlepp, the director of communications at Edmond Public Schools said in a statement that the incident was the center of an ongoing investigation.
She said: "Edmond Public Schools is aware of an incident in a classroom at Heartland Middle School involving a district employee and a seventh-grade student who wore a t-shirt featuring an outline of Africa and the words ‘Black King’ written on the front."
"If it is determined that the student was the target of discrimination, bullying, or racism, appropriate and swift action will be taken."
It was revealed in another statement that the school's district administrators met on February 25 to discuss the incident.
The statement said: "The district recognizes the public’s desire for a quick resolution to this issue. However, it’s important to note that employees have fundamental rights to ensure fairness when they are the subject of a complaint.
"Those rights include an option for the teacher to respond to and contest any recommended disciplinary action. As such, the district cannot, at this time, divulge any further details about the outcome of today’s meeting."
Latrell told KFOR that he does not wish to return to the school while the teacher is still employed there.