Kankakee School District 111 during a school board meeting on Tuesday voted to terminate a Kankakee High School teacher who earlier this month was captured on video using a racial slur towards a student in class.
In the incident, the teacher called the student a slur as he was leaving the classroom following a "minor argument" between the student and the teacher.
In the brief video, the teacher can be heard saying "I'm losing my job anyways" to the class right after saying the slur. It's unknown what the argument between the teacher and the student stemmed from.
Shortly after the incident, the teacher was put on paid administrative leave, a move that was met with harsh criticism on social media. However, the school board on Tuesday defended their disciplinary decisions, saying paid leave is part of the administration's due process during an investigation.
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Board secretary Tracy Verret described the situation, including the social media backlash, as "extremely disheartening."
"I'm angry, I'm frustrated, and my heart is broken," Verret said during the meeting Tuesday. "I cannot have imagined in 2022 our students would have been subjected to racial slurs in the classroom."
"Racism is real, microaggression is real," an emotional Verret continued. "This situation has impacted all of our students."
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District officials released the following statement when the incident occurred:
"We are disappointed with the incident that happened in a classroom at Kankakee High School.
A teacher (in a minor conflict with a student) chose to use a racial slur as the student independently exited the classroom. The teacher has been placed on paid leave pending a full investigation. As of the end of the day today, KHS administrators have collected statements from the students, talked with the students in the classroom and reviewed several videos. The principal will make a recommendation to the Human Resources Department followed by a recommendation concerning disciplinary action to the Kankakee School District 111 Board of Education.
We want to recognize the issues plaguing public education: Mental health/anxiety among students and staff, teacher shortage and equitable opportunities among students and teachers within the system. The video does not fully capture the work that needs to happen locally, within the state of Illinois and nationally. The video is a system of a much larger societal issue.
Although this is a disheartening situation for our students, families and public education, the root of the problem must be addressed in a systemic way. In light of the circumstances, we are proud of how the students handled the situation. After speaking with the students, the “laughter” heard in the video was “nervous laughter”. The students in the classroom reported that they were shocked and had never experienced a teacher using that terminology towards a student. Kankakee will continue the work that we started during the 2021-22 school year (following the pandemic) around Diversity, Inclusion and Equity as well as student/adult wellness."
