ALLISON PARK, Pa. -- The mother of a student at an Allison Park school said a teacher's aide went on a racist rant in front of her daughter about President-elect Barack Obama.

Mara Gilligan's 16-year-old daughter is a student at A.W. Beattie Career Center on Babcock Boulevard. She said on two occasions the same member of the teaching staff made what she called "racist" comments to her daughter about Obama's victory.

"He was yelling that Barack Obama was going to be shot and killed. That her beliefs were wrong and that her kids were going to have a messed up society, live in a messed society, since he was elected. And that he was going to be shot and killed," Gilligan said.

Gilligan said her daughter, who is one of the few minorities at the school, was happy and excited, talking with lunchroom friends about Obama's victory the night before. She said that's when an irate teacher's aide verbally attacked the eleventh grader. And she says he did it again the next day.

"He started laughing and went over to another student, in front of another teacher, and said that 'Oh, guess what they're going to change the flag to? The KFC flag. And they're going to change our national anthem to 'Moving On Up.'' And he said some things that were personally attacking her," Gilligan said.

The school said the teacher's aide was suspended without pay on Friday and that based on the initial investigation the teacher's comments were "unprofessional and unacceptable." The school said the suspension is continuing while they investigate the complaints.

Mara Gilligan wants the aide dismissed and she said she wants the school to help her daughter, who's been the target of racial incidents.

"For her to get some kind of counseling. And for the school to try to help her out in some kind of way. Because she was destroyed by this," Gilligan said.

What follows is the public statement released by the Career Center:

The A.W. Beattie Career Center ("Center") Administration received a report Thursday, November 6 that an instructional aide at the Center the previous day made comments to students during a lunch period on Barack Obama's election as President. The aide's comments were in response to a 16 year old Center Student who expressed enthusiasm about Mr. Obama's election.

Upon initial investigation, it appears the aide spoke of negative consequences that might occur with Mr. Obama's administration. It also appears several of the comments attempted to describe, in a supposedly joking fashion, alleged social changes that would occur with Mr. Obama as President. The student became upset with the aide's comments, reported her concerns to a Center teacher, who in turn alerted Center Administration. Center Administration later met with the student's mother about the matter. Center Administration also spoke with the aide.

While the A.W. Beattie Career Center believes student-staff discourse on current events adds positively to the learning environment, based on the initial review, the aide's comments were unprofessional and unacceptable. The Center suspended the aide without pay on Friday, November 7. The suspension is continuing, pending further investigation.

The A.W. Beattie Career Center expresses its regrets to the student, her family and to the communities the Center serves that an incident of this type occurred.

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