A Georgia middle school teacher is in the hot seat after reportedly failing to properly diffuse and report alleged racist abuse at the hands of their students. The minors involved are also facing criminal charges.

In an article published yesterday (April 10) by Atlanta news station WSB-TV, a reporter from the outlet spoke with the parents of the unnamed alleged victim. The girl, a student at Radloff Middle School in Gwinnett County, told her mother and father that she was harassed by Hispanic kids who called her racist names and beat her with a belt while the instructor, who is said to have witnessed the degrading acts, barely intervened. After finding out, the parents went to the school, only to learn that it wasn’t reported to administrators.

The girl’s father recalled what his child told him of the horrific experience: “She was sitting with a Hispanic child, and the other Hispanic child approached them and said, ‘How much for your monkey?’ And the child responded, ‘$450.’ And so the main child said, ‘Alright,’ looked at my daughter and said, ‘Alright, I own you now (expletive). Do my homework, slave.’ My daughter refused, and that’s when the child asked the other child to remove his belt, and he gave her some lashings. And that’s when the teacher initially said, ‘Alright you boys, leave her alone.’” The mother noted that things got so bad that last month, the teen asked to be picked up from the Georgia school because she no longer felt safe.

After hearing the child’s account, administrators released a statement and suspended the Hispanic students before police also became involved. The minor’s parents admitted they are pleased with how the Georgia middle school handled the situation but said they do not understand why their daughter’s teacher allowed so much to go on. “I don’t think time heals wounds when it comes to racism,” her father stated. He added, “There’s no safe place. There should be several options for kids in that type of situation where they can walk out immediately, go to someone immediately, have something done immediately.”