Maceió teacher sentenced to 7 years for racial injury

A court in Alagoas has sentenced a mathematics teacher to seven years and three months in prison for racial injury and the corruption of minors. The conviction follows an incident on February 12, 2026, at a private school in the Benedito Bentes neighborhood of Maceió.

During a class for 8th-grade students, the teacher compared a 13-year-old Black student to a chimpanzee after a student showed a notebook with the animal's image. The act prompted laughter from classmates and left the victim deeply distressed. Security footage captured the moment the student remained motionless and embarrassed.

The Public Ministry of the State of Alagoas (MPAL) filed the criminal action, noting that the teacher's conduct was particularly grave because it occurred in an educational environment. The court also ordered the defendant to pay R$ 15,000 in moral damages to the teenager. Following the incident, the school dismissed the teacher and issued a statement repudiating all forms of discrimination.