Student Pulled from Providence Over Racist Song

NEW LENOX, IL - A racially charged incident at Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox resulted in one student being expelled and another being pulled out of the school by his mother over the school’s perceived lack of action when it comes to racial matters.

Tianna Waits is the mother who withdrew her son, a freshman, from Providence after he was the victim of other students playing a song during school on March 13 that included racist lyrics.

“I no longer felt it was safe for him to be there,” Waits told WGN. “So I pulled him out.”

Another student was expelled by the school for the incident, but Waits told the Herald-News that wasn’t enough to sway her to keep him enrolled.

The investigation by the school, she said, was “sweeping things under the rug” and that her son has also been taunted with the N-word on numerous occasions. Her son now attends Joliet Central High School.

“Those actions break faith with the Providence Catholic community and will not be tolerated,” Rev. Richard McGrath, Providence president, said of the song that was played.

Waits’ son secretly recorded the other students playing the song around him, according to both media reports.

The school has scheduled diversity training for students and staff.

“Truth, unity and love is their motto but I haven’t found a bit of truth, unity or love from this place,” Waits said.

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