A California teacher is under fire after being filmed repeatedly using the N-word during a class lesson and allegedly trying to “force” a student into saying the slur.
The unidentified language arts teacher at Sequoia Middle School—part of the Fontana Unified School District—was in the middle of a discussion about a Mark Twain novel when the word was first mentioned, with a student asking how to spell it, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported.
A Black student, who wishes to remain anonymous, happened to record the debacle as it unfolded.
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“The teacher got in front of the class and she was saying that the word is just an English word and everybody can say it if she wants to,” the student told the local outlet.
The student added that the teacher claimed the term was in the dictionary and that “people are oversensitive over the word.”
“She was trying to force him to say the word,” the student told ABC 7. “She repeatedly kept saying it and she had a smirk on her face.”
The student said they thought the teacher was “out of her mind.”
In the video that has circulated online, a teacher in a black sweater, jeans, and boots stands in front of a student sitting at a table.
“Say it. N-----,” the teacher seemingly taunts the student with a slight smile. “Why? You’re asking me, so go ahead and pronounce it: N-----.”
The student hangs his head in silence while the teacher continues goading him on as his classmates begin to giggle.
“Pronounce it after me,” she says. “N-----.”
All told, the teacher said the racist term about 15 times, the student who recorded the incident told ABC 7.
“This took place at my Daughters school in Fontana at Sequoia Middle School teacher,” parent Bianca Gibbons shared on a community Facebook page on March 31. “Repost[,] please stop racism and verbal violence[,] bullying[.] this teacher should be fired[.] please help share this.”
Officials from Sequoia Middle School and the Fontana School District did not immediately return The Daily Beast’s requests for comment Thursday.
In a statement posted to the Fontana Unified School District's website, district officials said they were aware of an “unfortunate exchange” that took place between the teacher and student about a “racially insensitive word.”
“While the use of the word was in connection to its use in a historical literary work, there was a lack of understanding regarding the emotional impact of using this word could have on our students,” Superintendent Miki Inbody wrote. “We take such incidents very seriously and we are committed to ensuring that our learning environment is inclusive and welcoming for all students.”
Inbody said the district was partnering with community organizations to foster learning conversations on diversity.
“We want to assure you that we do not tolerate any form of discrimination or prejudice in our school,” the statement continued, “and we are taking steps to address this issue and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.”
ABC 7 contacted the teacher on Wednesday, but she declined to comment.
