Mary Walton, a 15-year-old sophomore at Glendale High School, made a video of her white geometry teacher using the N-Word, and she received a three-day suspension for violating a school policy for the inappropriate use of an electronic device.
The Walton family contacted the school and demanded that the school issue an apology to the student and the suspension expunged from her school record.
In the 56-second video, a fellow student in the same class as Walton warns the unnamed teacher that repeated use of the racial slur could cost him his job.
The teacher uttered the slur at least six times and four times before Walton made the video to document the teacher’s improper behavior.
The teacher stated he didn’t like the word but used the defense that black people call each other the n-word all the time, so he questioned why it’s still considered a derogatory word.
As a result of the classroom exchange, the teacher employed by the school since 2008 was placed on administrative leave. He resigned his teaching position a few days later.
Walton did not post the video on social media but shared it with school officials.
Glendale High School Principal, Dr. Josh Groves, informed families and school employees that the language used was unprofessional and inappropriate for the classroom.
Despite the damming evidence against the teacher, the school indicated that Walton’s suspension would still be enforced.
A school district spokesperson reiterated that Walton’s videotaping of classrooms and other students was a “violation of privacy,” as detailed in the school’s student handbook.
The school district has refused the family attorney’s request to rescind the suspension and says that Walton should have reported the incident and not recorded it.
The family’s attorney, Natalie Hull, questioned how a child would know the proper channels to report such an incident, and many children fear they won’t be believed when confronting a teacher.
Many believe that Walton should be considered a protected whistleblower and did the school a service that doesn’t warrant the punishment the student received.
The school is steadfast in its resolve to keep the suspension and the violation of school policy intact.
