Student, white, accused of putting noose around neck of classmate, who is black

LOUISIANA -- A high-school student, who is white, has been accused of putting a noose around a student neck, who is black, in northeast Louisiana.

A teacher at West Ouachita High School saw the incident and immediately took the student, who is white, to administrators at the school in West Monroe, Ouachita (WASH-uh-taw) Parish Schools Superintendent Don Coker said.

Coker said the student was disciplined, but student privacy laws forbid him to release details.

Deputy Glenn Springfield, a spokesman for the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office, said a juvenile student at the school was arrested on a hate crime battery charge. Springfield said he could not give or confirm other details because both students are juveniles and the case is now with the district attorney's office.

"We don't tolerate any of this. We will never tolerate any of this," Coker said. He added, "This was during Homecoming Week. I don't know if he was trying to make a practical joke or it was truly a hate crime. I know it was handled extremely quickly and very well by our school."

District Attorney Robert S. Tew was out of his office Friday and unavailable for comment.