A Harlem High School teacher has been placed on administrative leave after an audio recording was posted on social media of her using a racial slur and curse words.
Principal Casey Dees told parents that the teacher – who was not named – used inappropriate language in class and is under investigation. The teacher’s rant to students included foul language, even as she told students what words she wanted them to stop using under threat of being written up.
In the recording, the white female teacher says, “I don’t want to hear the F-bomb. I don’t want to hear s**t. I don’t want to hear n****r. I don’t want to hear damn. I don’t want to hear f**k. I don’t want to hear hell. There, now I have said them, and we are even. Going forward, if I hear them, you are written up. Are we clear?”
The principal sent out a letter Tuesday, making clear the notice was not an emergency, just to make parents aware of the social media post with the recording and the resulting investigation.
“At this time, the teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation,” Dees said. “School operations will continue as normal. Thank you for your patience as we work to resolve this issue.”
The recording is available here with local response below. (WARNING: The teacher’s use of foul language and a racial slur may offend some readers.)
Online, the post gathered a mixed response, with many asking what the problem was.
“She’s fed up with the disrespectful language in her classroom,” Shanitra Brazan-Gandy said on Facebook. “Yall better not try to get her fired over this.”
Aubrie Mahoney said she understood the frustration. “But I don’t see why she had to say it out like that,” she said.
Deandre Spivey said, “I agree her saying it is wrong and it could have been completely avoided but I have a feeling her frustration wouldn’t have come out if the class wasn’t disruptive.”
And Missy Hayes Johnson disagreed with the teacher’s actions. “I cannot support a teacher who does this,” she said. “There is a way to handle the situation privately with the student. Teachers, coaches, and school staff set the tone for the classroom/school climate. As the adult in the room, she is responsible for creating an engaging, encouraging, and respectful climate.”
The principal’s letter:
