Mother speaks out after white teacher sings ‘Monkey’ version of ‘Happy Birthday’ to her son

Desarae Prather, a mother in Florida, is seeking action after receiving footage of a teacher singing a racially insensitive song to her son.

A Black mother in Polk County, Florida, is demanding an apology and disciplinary action after her son’s teacher sang a culturally insensitive remix of “Happy Birthday.”

Desarae Prather is speaking out after she was sent footage from her son’s teacher that began circulating online this week, showing the white teacher singing a popular variation on the standard “Happy Birthday” lyrics to her 6-year-old son that included: “You live in a zoo, you look like a monkey, and you smell like one too.”

“I automatically said, ‘There’s nothing funny about it, and I don’t think that the kids thought that was funny,’” Prather, who has sent a formal letter demanding swift accountability and therapy for her child, told ABC 10.

The video has drawn outrage in part because, while the song’s variation is widely popular among children, the context shifts when directed at a Black child in a classroom surrounded by white peers and a white teacher. The incident, which took place at Floral Avenue Elementary in Bartow, also hurt the boy’s feelings, he told 10 Tampa Bay News. For the mother, the moment underscores painful racial undertones that have long been used to demean and dehumanize Black people.

“My skin is boiling,” Prather continued when speaking with ABC 10. “I don’t even like racism, and to know where we come from, and our ancestors and for us to be labeled like that, because when they call us, ‘Monkey,’ they’re saying we’re ugly; we act like monkeys. Those are remarks I don’t like at all.”

After she received the footage, she went straight to the school’s officials to express her anger and frustration.

School officials have confirmed they are reviewing the incident and the teacher’s conduct. The Polk County School District said it is taking the matter seriously but has not announced any disciplinary decision while the investigation is ongoing.

Prather, meanwhile, says she is considering removing her son from the school entirely. For now, she has had him transferred to a different class.

“I don’t play games about my child,” Prather said.