Parents, Portland Catholic school, reach agreement after alleged racism

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Parents of an African-American student previously at Portland Catholic school say they have reached an agreement with the Archdiocese after an alleged racist incident in March.

Karis Stoudamire-Phillips and her husband Mike, are prominent members of Portland’s Black community. Their 10-year-old son was expelled from Portland’s Madeleine Catholic School after they decided to challenge the school and the Archdiocese.

The Phillips’ say their son was called the N-word on the playground by at least one other student. When Karis and Mike met with Principal Tresa Rast, they claimed she didn’t take the incident seriously.

When the conversation got heated, Rast called the police.

While no arrests were made, the son was expelled, which is when they decided to fight back.

“The legacy of standing up is so much more worth it than making people feel comfortable about the things that exist that they don’t want to deal with,” Mike Phillips said.

Rast was fired, but the Phillips’ say they also wanted more accountability from the Archdiocese.

Their attorney says the agreement, which is confidential, generally calls for a public apology, acknowledgement of wrongdoing, and reformative actions to make sure what happened to their son doesn’t happen to other students of color at Madeleine or any other Catholic school.

“That’s our hope. That the commitment that Madeleine is expressing to be better and do better,” Karis said. “We really hope that that is something that they are really internalizing and going to implement.”

The Phillips’ say their son is now attending a Christian school and that they got support from all over the country, but that their greatest support came from parents at Madeline.

The school did issue an apology, saying they are committed to “maintaining an educational environment free from the scourge of racism.”