BEAUFORT, S.C. – Officials at Battery Creek High School are investigating after a student’s mother complained that a white teacher recently told her black son to go back to Africa.

Parent Nicole Whitmore told the Island Packet the teacher asked her freshman son to stand in class Tuesday for the Pledge of Allegiance, and the boy refused, allegedly telling a friend it did not matter because “Donald Trump is going to send us back to Africa.”

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Whitmore alleges the teacher told the 14-year-old he should go back to Africa.

“I didn’t take kindly to it, and my son didn’t take kindly to it,” Whitmore said. “ … You don’t tell my son to go back to Africa knowing you’re a different color than he is. I’m Puerto Rican and black, I know what I sent through. I don’t want my son going through anything discriminative.”

The mother didn’t seem to mind that her son doesn’t care to stand for the pledge, and blamed his behavior on racism in the news, specifically the recent Confederate flag debate and coverage of Donald Trump rallies.

“Her son’s statement Tuesday was likely inspired by Trump supporters’ shouts of ‘Go back to Africa!’ at rallies in Chicago and Cleveland in March,” according to the Packet. “Trump has also made comments about reducing food stamps, which Whitmore receives, even though she works full time at Burger King.”

School officials refused to discuss the alleged incident, but said they are investigating. District spokesman Jim Foster said students are not required to stand for the pledge, and school officials reminded teachers of that when administrators learned of the alleged incident, WNCN reports.

Foster would not divulge the teacher’s name or status of the investigation.

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Whitmore alleges her son was punished by the school over the verbal altercation with his teacher, and was forced to spend one class period in a media center Wednesday, the Packet reports.

School officials would not discuss that, either.

“The teacher, assistant principal Gilbert Sanchez and principal Edmond Burnes did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday,” according to the news site.

Whitmore said she believes it’s the teacher who should be punished, not her son.

“These children are not dumb,” she said. “They can read and they see all of this going on and for (a teacher) to tell him to go back to Africa, of course he’s going to feel some type of way.”

“A teacher should never stoop to a child’s level,” Whitmore said. “My son is 14 years old, a freshman at Battery Creek. This teacher is supposed to be an educator. He’s supposed to teach him better.”

Several folks who commented online expressed a different take on the situation.

“I think it is a shame that students aren’t taught to respect the flag and the country we live in. Many Americans of all races died defending it,” Gwen Caulder posted. “Beaufort School District should be ashamed of allowing them to sit. What are our kids learning? If you don’t love this country you should go live somewhere else.”

“My problem with this is not so much that the young boy did not want to stand, or his belief in why he did not stand. My problem is the disrespect that our young people have for those who are in authority over them,” Ruthie Williams wrote. “Many are not learning because the teachers have so little control in the classrooms. That’s exactly why we have so many problems in our country, because even adults/parents support the behavior of rude, disrespectful young people.”