‘I am disgusted’: Fort Worth schools investigate racial slurs in slavery presentation
A Fort Worth high school student used multiple racial slurs in a classroom presentation while other students laughed, according to a video that has circulated online.
Paschal High School and the Fort Worth school district are investigating the incident that occurred in a Paschal classroom, calling it “inexcusable.”
Although the intent behind the presentation is unclear, the almost three-minute video starts with someone who appears to be a teacher saying, “The point is not to be offended. It’s his interpretation.”
The student proceeds to use a racial slur seven times. He appears to be reading from a piece of paper while he references slavery and uses other vulgar language.
Halfway through, a teacher interrupts, saying, “We’re not trying to set this in pre-Civil War. ... We’re trying to stay as true to the original text as possible.” The student proceeds with the presentation and continues using racial slurs.
School leaders sent an email to Paschal families saying, in part:
“We have been made aware of a video recorded in one of our classes last week in which a student used profane, derogatory and racially insensitive language in a classroom assignment. This was inexcusable. The language used in this video was neither acceptable nor representative of Paschal High School or of any other school in Fort Worth ISD.”
The email said that action will be taken but doesn’t provide details. A district spokesperson said the district would not identify the teacher involved.
“I am disgusted by the inexcusable behavior that took place in a Paschal High School classroom,” Superintendent Kent Scribner said in a statement. “There is no place for this kind of language in our society, much less in our schools. I am appalled by the conduct of the adult in the room and saddened by the message that it sends to our students.”
Scribner said he recommends that the teacher no longer be employed by the Fort Worth school district.
Ministers group calls for civil rights investigation
The Rev. Kyev Tatum, president of Ministers of Justice Coalition of Texas, applauded the superintendent’s desire to terminate the teacher. Speaking at a Thursday news conference with other members of the coalition, Tatum said there’s more work to be done.
“We know that this has been systemic, it’s historic, and it’s hurtful, it’s harmful, and it’s hindering our kids from getting a quality education,” he said.
Tatum said the coalition is calling for a federal civil rights investigation from the U.S. Department of Education. He hopes the district will start to train teachers about why they can’t allow the use of racial slurs when teaching about slavery.
“Why would a teacher allow that word to be used nine times without interrupting the student and using it as a teachable moment to teach that student and the rest of the classroom why we as Americans, don’t use the word?” Tatum said.
Tatum said there’s a difference between Black people using the word and white Americans.
“If Anglos say the word, they say it in hurt, but when we say it, we say it in love. So you cannot compare the two, because one uses it to belittle, to bemoan, to demoralize an entire group of people, but we use it to try to pick us up and not allow any words to take us down,” he said.
Students say slurs common
A Paschal student said in an interview with the Star-Telegram that he initially was shocked seeing the video. But he said that he hears slurs as he walks the campus’ halls.
“We’d like to think as a school that it’s not something that represents us, but it definitely is,” he said.
The student said he’s hoping the incident will encourage teachers to be more vocal about appropriate language in the classroom.
“Sometimes that has to be an explicit thing that you tell students that this is not acceptable, instead of just addressing it when it does come up,” he said.
Another student said she wasn’t surprised this happened at Paschal, saying she frequently hears racial and homophobic slurs at school.
“When the school said that this was not representative of Paschal I think it just shows how much the administration is really blind to what goes on within their own school because this is a very frequent occurrence that if not for this, if not for this video being filmed, would not have gotten this much notoriety,” she said.
The student also said she thinks this is a teachable moment for school staff to properly address and confront racist language as it occurs.
“I think the school could take this in a very positive direction to encourage growth. Do I think that is going to happen? Probably not,” she said.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 10:28 AM.
