An upstate New York substitute teacher was fired for a racially insensitive comment towards a black middle school student.
As WYNT reports, the remark made by the substitute teacher at Richard O’Rourke Middle School, was caught on a now-viral video on February 10.
In the video, a teacher can be heard in the background of a student’s video journal saying, “Keep your cotton-picking hands to yourself.”
The outlet notes, that the substitute directed the comment towards a Black eighth-grader.
The district says an investigation was launched after the comment in the video journal was discovered. They say the substitute teacher has been removed from the district list.
“Upon learning of the situation, district staff immediately launched an investigation. Based on our findings, the substitute teacher was immediately removed from the district’s substitute teacher roster,” a district spokesperson said.
On Thursday (Feb 12), Richard O’Rourke’s principal met with every student present in the class during the incident, as well as their parents.
A spokesperson from the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake School District released this statement in response:
“Late Wednesday afternoon, district leaders were made aware of an incident involving a substitute teacher in an eighth-grade classroom. It was reported that the substitute teacher made a racially insensitive comment to a student, which could be heard in the background of a Chromebook video journal being recorded for a class assignment.“
The district said it is committed to a respectful and safe environment and that it will not accept racist comments or actions. They also said the district is dedicated to ensuring dignity for all in its schools.