A Kankakee High School teacher has been placed on paid leave pending an investigation after being captured on video using a racial slur towards a student during a class, according to a statement from Kankakee School District 111.
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.
District officials released the following statement:
"We are disappointed with the incident that happened in a classroom at Kankakee High School.
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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."
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In the brief video, the teacher says "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.
A recommendation will be made by the principal to the school's human resources department regarding disciplinary action for the teacher following the investigation.
