Substitute teacher banned from district after allegedly making racist comments to students
A substitute teacher was escorted from a school in Springfield, Mo., and banned from teaching in the district after being accused of making racist threats to two students.
Administrators at Hickory Hills Elementary and Middle School received a report on Jan. 16 regarding comments allegedly made to two black eighth-grade students, according to Stephen Hall, who is the chief communications officer for Springfield Public Schools. Hall tells Yahoo Lifestyle that the alleged comments were “disturbing, unacceptable, and are completely at odds with who we are a school district.”
Jean Hawkins, the mother of one of the eighth-graders, told the Springfield News-Leader that her son was in shock after walking into his technology class on that Wednesday morning to see a teacher he didn’t know greet him and a classmate with a threatening statement.
“The teacher tells them, ‘I was told to shoot you black boys. You black boys are nothing but trouble,'” Hawkins told the local Missouri outlet. “[My son] just looked at [the teacher] and he couldn’t believe what he was saying. He was like, ‘Wow.’ He didn’t know if he should run.”
Hawkins said that the boys claim they didn’t act in any way to incite the substitute teacher’s alleged threats. Even after the unnamed teacher reportedly made the comments, the two students took their seats and no further incident occurred. Still, another student must have been alarmed by the statement and took an opportunity to report the incident to the front desk.
“He doesn’t know who told,” Hawkins explained. But the substitute teacher was immediately escorted out of the building.
“There is zero tolerance for any comment like those described. SPS remains committed to ensuring that all of our students thrive in a learning environment where they feel safe, welcomed and respected,” Hall told Yahoo Lifestyle. “Because of that commitment and our refusal to accept any behavior that fails to meet those standards, we can confirm that this individual was removed from the list of eligible SPS substitutes, on the same day the allegations were made, and will not return to SPS in any capacity.”
The substitute is an employee of Penmac Education Staffing, which connects contract teachers with Springfield-area schools like Hickory Hills. Penmac says that they take these allegations “very seriously.”
“We have no tolerance for such behavior,” a spokesperson tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “The substitute in question is suspended from all assignments, pending the completion of a full investigation. We are cooperating fully with Springfield Public Schools in the completion of that investigation.”
Hawkins reportedly filed a complaint with Penmac and requested the name of the teacher. And although she told the Springfield News-Leader that school administrators hadn’t properly informed her of the incident when it happened, Hall assures that they “are in this together.”
“We remain in contact with the parents of the students involved. That communication began on the day the incident occurred,” Hall explained to Yahoo Lifestyle. “Our ongoing commitment is to both listen to their concerns and to explain the steps we have taken to address the situation thoroughly and promptly.”
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