CCSD fires substitute who wrote racial slur on junior high whiteboard

A photo circulating on Twitter showed an individual speaking to students with the n-word written on the whiteboard.

The school district said in a statement Wednesday that the person was a substitute teacher and was terminated and no longer employed by the district.

In a Tuesday message to parents, Silvestri Principal Yvette Tippetts wrote that school administrators were aware of an incident that “involved communication that contained racial implications” and were investigating.

“The administration will continue to communicate with you about these situations because it will take the entire Silvestri Junior High School community to condemn these actions collectively,” she wrote. “As the school principal, I assure you that appropriate action will be taken against those responsible based on the outcome of the investigation. Additionally, I would like you to know that this will not be tolerated at our school or within the school district.”

Tippetts said she was thankful to students who immediately brought the incident to administrators’ attention.

“If your student is ever in a situation where they are unsure whether or not to share information with an adult, please remind them to never hesitate in reporting anything that is racially intolerant,” she wrote.

Students and parents can report concerns through SafeVoice, the state’s anonymous reporting hotline, by calling 833-216-SAFE (7233) or at safevoicenv.org, Tippetts said.

Clark County School Board Trustee Lisa Guzman expressed similar sentiments on Twitter, commending the students that turned in “this horrific act.”

“It allowed the district to move swiftly,” she wrote.

Two organizations issued a statement condemning the incident.

“The National Action Network Las Vegas Chapter, under the leadership of president Robert Bush, and the Las Vegas Alliance of Black School Educators are appalled that once again the Clark County School District has failed Black students,” the statement reads.”We understand that the guest teacher has been fired, but that will not undo the harm the students have suffered.”

The statement went on to note that “schools should be safe spaces for children and we are consistently reminded of white supremacy structures that continue to plague our school halls. Apparently, the training that some guest teachers engage in, is not enough to deter them from using such vile and ignorant language towards children.”

^

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.