A West Phoenix mother says her 5-year-old daughter came home from kindergarten increasingly ashamed of her own skin after a teacher allegedly called attention to the girl's vitiligo in front of other students, parents and staff. Beatriz Gomez says the teacher referred to her daughter as the “two-colored girl” during after-school pickup, and that the remark was not an isolated moment but part of a pattern of the teacher repeatedly pointing out the child's appearance in front of her classmates.
Gomez's daughter attends kindergarten at Desert Horizon Elementary School in Phoenix, according to 12News, which first reported the family's account. The girl has vitiligo, a condition that causes patches of skin to lose pigmentation, the station reports. Gomez told 12News that the teacher used the “two-colored girl” term in front of parents, students and other school staff, and that the same teacher repeatedly called attention to her daughter's appearance in front of other students.
Before her daughter ever set foot in kindergarten, Gomez had already braced for the possibility that classmates might ask questions or even bully the girl over her skin, per the station's report. What she says she didn't anticipate was that the pressure would come from an adult in the classroom. After the alleged remarks, Gomez moved her daughter into another teacher's classroom at the school.
A Child Increasingly Focused on Her Own Skin
According to Gomez, the fallout has followed her daughter even after the classroom switch. The girl has become increasingly focused on her skin's appearance and has expressed negative feelings about herself, Gomez says, and the child reportedly said she dislikes her skin and wants to remove it. Gomez says her daughter remained insecure about her appearance even after moving to the new classroom.
Gomez says she is now working to help her daughter rebuild her self-esteem and understand that having vitiligo does not make her negatively different from other kids, the same account notes. Gomez also told the station that the school's principal apologized to her and said she had no words in response to what happened.
District Response and a Dispute Over What Happened Next
The Pendergast Elementary School District did not specifically dispute Gomez's account, though its statement acknowledged the family's concerns and said leadership reviewed the matter and took steps to address them. The district also declined an on-camera interview and instead provided 12News with a written statement.
In that statement, the district said it takes allegations of discrimination seriously and is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful and inclusive learning environment, adding that student safety, well-being and dignity are its highest priorities. The district said school and district leadership reviewed the matter and took steps to address concerns, including those related to employee conduct, though it did not specify what those steps were.
On the district's response, Gomez says the district did not do much in response to her complaint, while the district says leadership reviewed the matter and took steps to address concerns. The district told 12News it could not share specific details about individual student and employee matters because of FERPA and personnel privacy protections. District officials also said they communicated with Gomez, including through district-level leadership, and provided her with a direct point of contact for further questions or concerns.
What Vitiligo Is, and Why Visibility Can Carry a Cost
Vitiligo is a condition that causes skin to lose color, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The group notes that it is not contagious and cannot be passed from one person to another, and that while vitiligo can change a person's appearance, it is not harmful to their physical health.
Medical literature has flagged the social toll the condition can take on young patients specifically. A review published in PMC notes that larger areas of affected skin have been associated with self-consciousness, fear and bullying in at least one cited study, and a separate reference compiled on the NCBI Bookshelf states that visible lesions can contribute to stigmatization, diminished self-esteem, social withdrawal, anxiety and depression. A systematic review indexed on PubMed likewise describes vitiligo in pediatric populations as something that can be linked to stigma, bullying and poor self-esteem.
Desert Horizon Elementary School falls under the Pendergast Elementary District, according to records maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics. For Gomez, the broader medical context doesn't change the immediate task in front of her: helping a 5-year-old make sense of why an adult in her own classroom singled her out, and convincing her daughter that the skin she was born with isn't something to want gone.
