This black boy was thrown out of school after he was accused of theft, but when his dad arrived, this happened.
“Stop! I told you I didn’t steal anything! I don’t have any phone with me!” Jaden exclaimed on the verge of tears. Students around him yelled, calling him a thief. They grabbed his bag and pushed him to the ground. When he tried to retrieve it, one of them bumped the contents of the bag on the floor. Jaden’s books, pens, and other items fell out, but one item stood out: an expensive-looking cell phone.
Students around saw the phone and gasped. They began whispering and throwing disgusted looks at Jaden. Speechless, he could only stare at the phone, unable to understand how it had gotten into his bag. He knew it didn’t belong to him and he hadn’t taken it, so how did it get there?
Jaden Collins, 12 years old, was the son of Roland and Brenda Collins. They lived together in their suburban estate. His father, a renowned lawyer, ran one of the biggest law firms in the country, while his mother held the position of head doctor in a prestigious hospital. They were a successful, loving black couple who cherished their son, Jaden.
Until that day, Jaden had attended a public school in their former neighborhood. However, his parents decided to move to a more comfortable environment, prompting Jaden to transfer schools. They chose a private school known for its excellence in education and for producing brilliant students. Roland and Brenda wanted the best opportunities and education for their son.
The family had not always done well financially. In fact, for Jaden’s entire childhood, they lived in a rural area, barely surviving. Roland’s law firm had been failing and was on the verge of closing down. Brenda didn’t earn much as a resident at her hospital, so they struggled financially. Through all this, the family managed to stick together, always spending time together and finding happiness in the small things. Roland and Brenda dreamed of the day they could give their family the best things in life. They wanted their son to never lack basic amenities, so they continued to work hard, believing they would make it one day.
When Jaden turned 11, there was a huge change in their lives. Roland took up a high-profile case and won. This earned him recognition, and his success skyrocketed. That same month, Brenda was promoted to head doctor in her hospital, securing an important and well-paid position. The family became wealthy overnight, and their bond grew even stronger. They could finally afford a comfortable and happier life.
Jaden watched as his parents’ lives turned around. He was so happy they would no longer spend nights worrying about how to raise money. Jaden was sad to leave all his friends behind, but he also looked forward to making new ones and seizing new opportunities. He was excited and curious about the new school he had often heard about. He had watched students from the school win different competitions and awards. He wanted to make his parents proud by bringing home trophies too.
That morning, he eagerly prepared for school. Although nervous, he couldn’t wait to get there. He hurried through breakfast, and Roland and Brenda chuckled at their son’s excitement. At the entrance, his parents dropped him off, wishing him a good day and urging him to behave well. Jaden nodded obediently, bidding them goodbye as they drove off. Turning to face the imposing building, he was amazed by its size. He entered with the other students, his eyes wide and scanning the surroundings. He noticed that the other students were staring and whispering. Their shocked expressions revealed that they couldn’t believe he was there.
Jaden thought the stares were because of his attire. Since it was his first day, he hadn’t been given a uniform, so he came to school in his ordinary clothes: a shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He was convinced the students who were staring were just wondering if he was a student or not. Little did he know that it wasn’t entirely the case.
Jaden got his class schedule and pass from the secretary and headed off to his first class. As he walked through the hallway, he noticed that he was the only black student there. This made him slightly uncomfortable, but he managed to steady his nerves before he got to class.
However, his confidence faltered once more when he entered the class and was greeted with odd stares from his classmates. Jaden immediately noticed that he was the only black person in the class. Some of the students whispered to each other, asking why he was allowed to attend the school. Embarrassed, Jaden heard this and saw how they all avoided him. He found a seat at the back of the class and took it. For the rest of the class, he received uncomfortable stares, but he managed to ignore them until the bell rang.
This pattern continued until lunchtime, and Jaden was relieved to be out of the class. He walked into the cafeteria with his bag slung over his shoulder, hungry and eager to eat. He got his lunch and sat down with some students, but as soon as they saw him, they stood up and left. He ended up eating alone, but didn’t take it so seriously. He didn’t mind sitting alone to eat.
Suddenly, a group of mean-looking boys walked up to him and surrounded him. They asked him why someone like him was in their school.
“We don’t like your face. We don’t want ugly boys in this school,” the biggest amongst them thundered.
Jaden didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t reply and resumed eating. The boy didn’t like this reaction, so one of them threw his lunch tray to the ground, spilling its contents. This drew the attention of the students in the cafeteria, and they all watched the commotion unfold. Jaden was angry at this behavior, but he tried to calm himself down, remembering his parents’ words earlier that morning.
He calmly told them to leave him alone. He stood up to leave, but one of them grabbed his shoulders and sat him back on the bench. He told Jaden they were there because a student’s phone had gone missing earlier that morning, and he was the suspect. Jaden frowned and replied that he hadn’t taken anyone’s phone. The boy said that theft had never occurred in their school until that day when Jaden showed up, so he was the main suspect.
Jaden protested, “I didn’t take any phone! I swear I didn’t!”
He tried to leave, but someone yanked his bag from him and pushed him to the ground. His heart pounded as he watched in horror.
“Hey, what are you doing? Stop!” Jaden shouted, scrambling to his feet.
They turned his bag upside down, and the phone fell out with a thud. Jaden’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“That’s not mine! I have no idea how it got there!” he cried, his voice shaking.
Other students surrounded him, their faces twisted with anger.
“Liar! Thief! You can’t be trusted!” the students shouted.
Jaden’s world spun as he tried to understand how the phone ended up in his bag, feeling utterly shocked and helpless against the accusations.
Meanwhile, the principal of the school had been informed of the commotion and came to see what was happening. Principal Morris was a grumpy white man, and it didn’t help that the student whose phone was stolen was his son. He had bought the expensive phone for his son on his birthday, so when he heard that Jaden was the one who stole it, he became furious. Seeing that Jaden was black, it didn’t take long for his prejudiced mind to conclude that Jaden was the thief.
A few students tried to tell him that it was all just a setup, but the man brushed them off, saying Jaden looked like he could do it and he wasn’t going to take any chances. He yelled at Jaden to go to his office and stay there. Jaden protested that he hadn’t done anything wrong, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. In defeat, he bowed his head and walked to the principal’s office, the angry-looking man following behind. Jaden kept trying to convince the principal that he was being framed, but Principal Morris took this as a challenge and threatened to call the police, saying Jaden was behaving like a thug.
Teachers saw what had happened, but none of them bothered to interfere. They went along with what Principal Morris said and believed him. Some of them knew what he was doing, but they didn’t say anything out of fear of Principal Morris. In the principal’s office, Jaden asked to call his parents to inform them of the situation. Principal Morris refused, saying his parents could meet him at the police station when he got arrested. Jaden was so frightened hearing this. As if that wasn’t enough, Morris screamed at Jaden that he found his presence irritating.
“I don’t trust those curious eyes and black lies. Who knows what else you’re going to steal? I’m sure if I leave you here in this office, you’ll steal something!” he yelled.
Then he asked some of the teachers to throw out the boy. As they dragged him out, Morris shouted, “This school doesn’t tolerate thieves, especially ones who look like you.” His words were laden with venom as he quickly followed behind them.
The police arrived soon and met Jaden, the school principal, and some teachers outside the school’s gate. Principal Morris explained everything that had happened and ordered the cops to take the “naughty black kid” away. However, the cops refused to do so. They couldn’t take the little boy with them unless they spoke to his parents.
“His parents? I bet you they’re also thieves! Take him away!” the principal yelled.
But the cops strictly warned him to let them handle the situation gently. One of the cops asked Jaden to call his parents. Jaden took
out his phone from his pocket and dialed his father’s number, his hand shaking in fear.
Roland was in his office when his phone rang. He looked to see his son’s name on the ID and smiled, but when he answered the call, he was met with Jaden’s panicked voice.
“What’s wrong, Jaden? Why do you sound so scared?” Roland asked worriedly.
Jaden hurriedly told him to come to his school. He explained everything that had happened and that the principal had called the police. He told his father that they were about to take him to the police station. Roland was furious hearing this and promised his son that he was going to be there soon. Grabbing his car keys and dialing his wife’s number, Roland rushed out of his office to his car, where it was parked. He explained the situation to Brenda. She was stunned hearing this. They agreed to meet up at the school.
As he drove, Roland was filled with fury. “Who would call the police on a child without proper investigation?” he thought.
Roland drove into the school compound and hurried into the principal’s office. Jaden saw his father and ran to him, crying. Roland angrily asked the principal what was going on and why the police wanted to arrest his son. Principal Morris looked at the father and son with disgust. He explained that a student’s phone was found in Jaden’s bag. He told Roland with a sneering look that his son was a thief and belonged in jail.
Roland argued that he and his wife hadn’t raised their son to steal from anybody. He firmly told them that his son was innocent. He insisted that they question other students and get their perspective on the matter. Perhaps it was a silly prank that naughty children like to do, but Morris didn’t want to listen to him. He wasn’t pleased that Roland was trying to tell him how to do his job. Before he could give Roland a reply, a student suddenly showed up saying he had something to show them all.
The student explained that he had seen some boys put a phone in Jaden’s bag that morning. He revealed that the principal’s son, Victor, was behind everything. He even recorded a video of the incident and offered to show them. Roland quickly took the phone from the boy and played the video before Principal Morris could do anything. They all watched in shock as the video showed some boys planting the stolen phone in Jaden’s bag. Principal Morris was stunned and embarrassed by the sudden turnaround. He told the student who showed the video to leave, annoyed to be proven wrong in front of the cops, Roland, and Jaden.
Jaden hugged his father, sobbing. He had been so scared he was going to go to jail. Brenda arrived just then. Jaden ran into his mother’s arms and stayed by her side, telling her he was fine and his father had handled everything. Roland turned to face Principal Morris with an infuriated look. He told the man that he wasn’t done with them. He was going to sue the school for their negligence and maltreatment of his son. He was going to make sure nothing like that ever happened in the school again.
Principal Morris’s eyes widened with fear hearing this, and he began to beg Roland not to do anything. He apologized and said it was his fault for not handling the situation well, but Roland had already made up his mind. Brenda told them that it was a disgrace for such a school to be run like that. They didn’t hesitate to humiliate a new student because he was black.
Roland led his wife and son out of the school, other students staring at them. By then, the truth had spread across the school quickly, and those who had pointed their fingers at Jaden now hung their heads in embarrassment. Some of them who had supported Jaden cheered as he walked out of the school with his parents. They knew Victor was a bully. They had reported him to his father several times, but the middle-aged man had refused to do anything about it. They were happy someone had finally stood up to the mean principal.
“Are you okay, son? They didn’t lay a finger on you, did they?” Brenda asked as she searched her son for injuries.
Jaden shook his head. He was just happy to be out of that school and back with his parents. The poor boy was still in shock and just clung to his mother. Brenda stroked his hair during the drive home until he fell asleep.
Roland’s promise to take the matter to court was not taken lightly. The school received a letter from the court that they had been sued for defamation of character and negligence. The owners were no different from the principal. They believed they could easily win the useless case against a silly black boy and his arrogant father. They hired a team of lawyers and promised to pay double if they helped them win the case.
“Put those arrogant black people to shame,” the owner had instructed his lawyer.
Meanwhile, Roland, who would represent his son, prepared exceptionally well for the case. He promptly gathered his points and all the evidence he needed. On the day of the court hearing, Roland presented his case before the judge, handing in the video as evidence and explaining everything that had happened and how Jaden had not been given the benefit of the doubt.
He had been presumed guilty until proven innocent. The student who recorded the video was called in as a witness. He gave his own story, narrating how he had seen the group of boys planting the phone in Jaden’s bag and how some students tried to tell the principal that it was just a prank, but Principal Morris refused to listen.
After both parties had made their case, it was time for the judge to give his verdict. The school was found guilty on all charges. The judge fined them, and they also had to compensate the family for damages. Roland and his family were satisfied with this verdict, and they all celebrated their win. Principal Morris left the court with his head hung in shame.
When the case was finally closed and they came out of the court, everyone was surprised to see the press waiting for Roland and his family. The school was popular, so a court case involving them caught the attention of the press as well as the public. They wanted to hear Jaden’s story. They were also curious to know how the school had managed to hide their racist tendencies from the public for so long.
They asked Roland questions regarding the case, but he only had one thing to say. He told the press that the court case wouldn’t have happened if the school had just taken the proper measures and carried out an investigation to find out the truth. So he advised schools to make sure their management was trusted in handling situations well. He also stated that people should not be discriminatory and encouraged togetherness and peace.
It later turned out that the school owners had been paying appropriate authorities to bury cases of oppression and bullying. News of the court’s verdict and the school’s corrupt practices spread across the country. This affected the image of the school badly. Parents and guardians began to withdraw their children from the school, and before long, the school, which had boasted a great reputation and was well respected, now had only a few students.
