Missouri Teacher No Longer Employed by School District After Using Racial Slur in Class
A Missouri teacher, who was captured in a video using a racial slur in a class at Glendale High School, is no longer employed, the Springfield Public Schools district said.
The teacher, which the district has not identified, was initially placed on administrative leave after the video that circulated on social media showed the teacher using the n-word at least twice in class. However, the teacher eventually resigned.
School principal Josh Groves addressed the incident in a letter sent to staff and families on May 9, admitting that the teacher's language was "inappropriate" and "inexcusable."
In the video footage provided to CNN by a lawyer of the student who filmed the classroom incident, a student intervened and can be heard cautioning the teacher to stop saying the n-word.
But the teacher said: "I'm not calling anyone a (racial slur). I can say the word."
The school administration confirmed to CNN Tuesday that the teacher was no longer employed by Springfield Public Schools district after the teacher resigned.
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Missouri Teacher Used Racial Slur Several Times in Class
According to Insider, Mary Walton recorded her geometry teacher after hearing the instructor repeatedly use a racial slur in front of the class.
Before the 15-year-old student started the recording, the Missouri teacher had already used the offensive term several times.
In trying to justify his use of the slur, the teacher told a student that although he disliked the word, it's still as derogatory when a Black person uses it toward another Black person.
The Washington Post reported that a student countered this argument by saying plantation owners used that word to address slaves.
When the teacher was about to repeat the n-word, a student cut him off and said: "Don't say it right now as a teacher if you want to keep your job... This isn't a threat."
After saying he did not call anyone using the racial slur, so there was nothing wrong in saying the word, the Missouri teacher then directed his attention to Walton, pointing at her and telling her to put her phone away. When the student did not do it, the teacher instructed her to "go to the office."
But rather than leaving the classroom, the student stayed and sent the recorded video to her mother and a friend asking for advice. After 30 minutes, the video circulated on social media, despite Walton not posting it and does not know who did it.
School Suspends Student After Recording Missouri Teacher Using Racial Slur
Mary Walton was suspended for three days, between May 12 and May 16, after she recorded the 55-second video in which her geometry teacher can be heard saying the n-word twice.
According to Daily Beast, Walton and her family asked the school to apologize and delete the suspension from the student's record.
Walton was informed on Friday morning that she was facing the consequences for recording her teacher on video.
Walton's attorney, Natalie Hull, noted that the Missouri student was still trying to comprehend why she was disciplined. Hull said: "She's still processing everything, and she doesn't understand what she did wrong."
Walton and her family reached out to school and district officials on Sunday to
request her return on Monday and an apology. But Hull noted that they had yet to receive a response.
The Springfield Public Schools Student Handbook said students can have electronic devices with them, such as cell phones, as long as they are "not disruptive to the educational process or in violation of site use procedures."
However, it noted that students will be subjected to disciplinary action if they use these electronic devices "to record, publish or display audio or visual images of events involving faculty, staff or other students in or around school premises, without the approval of school personnel."
A separate policy specific to mobile phones further noted that "the use of a cell phone or a similar device is prohibited during the school day, which means that the device must not be turned on or used during the school day. Violating these rules could result in students being penalized from a parent-teacher meeting to a three-day suspension.
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Written by: Bert Hoover
WATCH: Video Shows Missouri Teacher Repeatedly Using Racial Slur - From NBC News