Portland student claims teacher used n-word, hit him with clipboard

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The mother of a former eighth-grader has filed a $300,000 lawsuit against Portland Public Schools, claiming a substitute teacher whacked the boy on the head and called him the n-word.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the lawsuit filed last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court says Lamar Warren is African American and was a 13-year-old student at Martin Luther King Jr. School when the incident happened in October 2017.

Warren’s attorney, Greg Kafoury, said Warren and others were talking in class, prompting Niemann to hit him with a clipboard. The suit claims Niemann later made derogatory comments about African American families.

Deputy District Attorney Nicole Hermann declined to prosecute Niemann after determining there were differing accounts of what happened and when.

District spokesman Harry Esteve couldn’t immediately say whether Niemann is still employed by the district.

Niemann couldn’t be reached for comment.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com