A Florida teacher who was caught on camera while gaslighting students about the history of the N-word and slavery has been suspended with pay, The News-Press reported.
The incident happened in an AP government class at Island Coast High School in Cape Coral, Florida, where a student recorded a video in selfie mode during his back-and-forth debate with the teacher. The student, who is identified as Hector on social media, posted the video to TikTok, causing many people to wonder why that person is a teacher.
The video starts with the teacher saying that white people didn't crack slaves with whips.
"How do you know? Were you there?" Hector said in response.
The teacher then threatens to kick out the student and claims to seek "an honest conversation."
More ignorance spewed in the following minutes as the questionable educator tried to justify the meaning of the N-Word.
"If I call somebody the N-Word, what am I calling you?" he asked the class. "The N-Word just means ignorant. It doesn't have any other meaning other than you are a stupid person, you are ignorant, you are not well-read, you are not well-educated."
How is this guy a teacher pic.twitter.com/mQFFr3uTQy
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) February 14, 2021
The recording continues with another clip, where the teacher argues with multiple students in the class, saying that hate speech to one person does not necessarily equate hate speech for another person.
@elnegrosabrosoo yes…theres more. ???? #fyp
#apgov
#foryoupage
#slavery
Betsy Vaughn, the vice-chair of the Lee County School Board, addressed the controversy during a meeting of the equity and diversity advisory committee on Tuesday.
Vaughn said she was “disturbed” by the videos, but it's “completely unfair” to judge someone on a few minutes of a full-class period.
"In 60 seconds, there were two big pieces of misinformation that really, as an individual, concern me,” Vaughn said.
She added that the student could face potential discipline for recording and then sharing the videos online. Some social media users had anticipated that the school would turn the blame on the students.
I’m worried that the school is gonna be more concerned that student “had his phone on during class” than the actual problem here
— Aundrea P. ????????????♀️ (@MsDre20) February 14, 2021
While the district said an investigation has been launched, the public is calling for the teacher to immediately lose his job.
That teacher has no business in education. This needs to be shared with the administrator, the school board and the press. There is no walking back from this at all.
— Mama_C2 ???????? (@mama_c2) February 14, 2021
The Lee County School District hasn't confirmed the name of the teacher. However, spokesperson Rob Spicker said the instructor is suspended with pay pending reassignment to the district office.
According to WFTV, another Florida teacher was under investigation in October after she was caught on camera saying that she has a right to "dislike Black people" because she was attacked by a gang on a train as a teen.
In 2019, yet another instructor in the state was removed from First Coast High School after scolding students over the national anthem, as Blavity previously reported.
"You are all extremely lucky to be living in the U.S.A.,” Daniel Goodman wrote on a whiteboard. “If you refuse to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance or our National Anthem, are you revealing your maturity and wisdom? Actually, you are displaying the opposite (as some pampered arrogant celebrities and athletes tend to do) — Mr. G.”
