Teacher caught using racial slur on video is teaching again in North Carolina
A teacher was put on paid leave last year after he was seen on video using a racial slur during class in North Carolina.
A couple months later, he is now back teaching, McDowell County School officials said.
In November 2021, a McDowell High School teacher was suspended after allegations that he “made an inappropriate racial remark” in class, Assistant Superintendent Brian Oliver told McClatchy News. The district immediately started an investigation.
A video recorded by a student and later sent to school officials shows the teacher standing in front of the class, his arm around a student of color, the Winston-Salem Journal reported. He is heard saying “I’m a white man, so I can’t say (racial slur)?”
On March 1, Oliver told McClatchy News the investigation has been completed and the teacher returned to work, now for McDowell Virtual Academy.
“Because state law prohibits the release of certain personnel information, the district is unable to provide additional details other than [the teacher’s] actions were addressed in a manner consistent with district policies,” he said.
Oliver said McDowell County Schools have committed to “develop a comprehensive plan to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within our school communities” by June 30.
According to the McDowell County Board of Education policy manual, the board “expressly prohibits unlawful discrimination and harassment.”
Board of Education documents say harassment does not have to include intent to harm, be directed at a specific target, or involve repeated incidents. “Examples of behavior that may constitute harassment include, but are not limited to, acts of disrespect, intimidation, or threats, such as verbal taunts, name-calling and put-downs, epithets, derogatory comments or slurs,” among others, documents show.
A few days before the news about the teacher’s return came out, the West Marion Community Forumsaidit would be “collecting stories and data to be able to hold the McDowell County school system responsible and have a higher standard in issues of racism and bullying and incidents in our schools.”
The forum’s mission is to “overcome racial barriers by building bridges in McDowell,” according to its website.
The forum said in a Feb. 25 Facebook post that the data collected from the survey will be shared with the school board to “report the necessary changes in current policies and procedures.”
“We don’t attack people, we attack problems. And this is not an isolated incident,” Paula Swepson, executive director of the forum, told McClatchy News.
“Your teacher was trying to have a teaching moment without any knowledge of what he was talking about,” Swepson said.
She added that the forum is offering free racial equity training to anyone in the county.
“They’re not making it mandatory for any teacher to take it,” Swepson said. ”So you’re going to continue having these incidents when teachers are trying to have a teaching moment, not realizing what they’re doing [...] and how they’re continuing the discrimination that’s been going on for years.”
The superintendent said that “diversity, equity, and inclusion are important” to the school board. “We will continue to work together with our community partners to make our schools better for all students.”
McDowell County is in Western North Carolina, about 30 miles northeast of Asheville.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Teacher caught using racial slur on video is teaching again in North Carolina."
