NYC Dept of Education official claims racism got her banned from flight when she objected to delay

A popular New York City educator is claiming that she was booted from an American Airlines flight after she complained about a four-hour delay and a staff member allegedly decided they didn’t like her “tone.”

A deputy superintendent for the Department of Education named Kyleema Norman set off to take a trip to Grenada on Sunday as a college graduation present for her daughter Bobbie but things didn’t go as planned. She was delayed when they were stranded at LaGuardia Airport waiting for their connecting flight through Miami. Things proceeded to go off the rails from there.

She told the New York Post that she communicated her frustration to airline staffers “in my teacher voice.” One of them decided she was some kind of threat and enlisted the Port Authority police to handle her.

“We’re not trying to start a riot,” Norman stated, referring to the altercation. “I didn’t curse him, threaten him, show bodily harm, or make a scene.”

“‘Your tone at 35,000 feet — I don’t think I’d be able to trust you’d be safe in the air with a pilot and other people,'” the educator was shockingly told.

Norman posted a 45-second clip of the encounter on Twitter and it went viral. Someone else started to video the interaction when police got involved.

“This is what @AmericanAir is calling erratic behavior! Please watch. At which point do I look like a threat to anyone’s safety!” she wrote.

Norman is black and asserts that the incident was a result of racism, accusing the staff of letting everyone else board except her and her daughter.

“Who knew the gift would be her watching me getting banned from our flight on American Airlines and witnessing the outrage of racism,” she raged on Twitter, referring to her daughter and the now-ruined graduation present.

The daughter backed up her mother’s version of events, claiming that she also stood up for others wanting information at the gate regarding the delay.

“She advocated for everyone, but she is not allowed to get on the plane because the person who pretended to help didn’t like her ‘tone,'” Bobbie noted.

The event ticked off other local educators who hotly defended Norman.

“I can’t believe this, but logically I know this happened and why,” a DOE staffer wrote on Twitter.

“I am so upset for you,” a teacher development coach stated. “I have no words.”

Norman was referred to her travel agency by the Passenger Refunds Department to get her money back.

Her bags were returned days later by American Airlines and she was given a $125 trip credit. The two round-trip tickets to Grenada cost $2,145. Her complaint is still up in the air.

The airline claims that the delay was caused by an unspecified maintenance issue and that it is working to start the refund process.

“We take all claims of discrimination seriously and have opened an internal investigation into the issue. Our Customer Relations team is actively engaged with Ms. Norman to learn more and to apologize for her family’s recent travel experience,” an American Airlines spokesperson robotically commented via a statement.

Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles