A white teacher at a black school in Charleston, South Carolina was subjected to a “racially hostile workplace” ruled a federal court because school officials did nothing to protect her from verbal abuse by her middle school students. They argued the profanity — with “white” as the adjective” — was “part of the students’ culture,” writes columnist Kathy Parker. Elizabeth Kandrac, who was fired when she filed a complaint, settled with the district for $200,000.
Kandrac’s attorney, Larry Kobrovsky, argued that the repeated use of “white” made these slurs racists in nature. But school officials insisted that because black students were equally abusive to other blacks, the language wasn’t inherently racist.
So, it’s OK to let students shout vulgar insults at teachers as long as they’re destroying the learning environment in all their clases? Parker writes:
. . . the worst racists are those teachers and administrators who denied these empowered brats the expectation of civilized behavior.
These students are capable of better. Someone should teach them.
In the comments, Hube links to a Colossus of Rhodey post about Brandy Stokes, another teacher who sued Brentwood Middle School for racial discrimination. I can’t figure out what happened to that suit, filed after Kandrac’s, but it turns out that a white male teacher also sued and won $50,000 in a mediated settlement.
About Joanne
Didn’t someone once say something about the “soft bigotry of low expectations”? I wonder who that was….
> Kandrac’s attorney, Larry Kobrovsky, argued that
> the repeated use of “white” made these slurs racists
> in nature. But school officials insisted that because
> black students were equally abusive to other blacks,
> the language wasn’t inherently racist.
Amazing how twisted a person’s logic can become with a law school education.
Where’s Al Sharpton?
Weird — one of our contribs wrote about an exact same incident at the exact same school (different teacher) over a year and a half ago:
http://colossus.mu.nu/archives/124678.php
Amazing…
Yes…where’s the public outcry?
“with “white†as the adjective†— was “part of the students’ culture…,†– I’m sure if it was the other way around, and the ‘white’ was juxtaposed with any other phrase; yes, I have no doubt Al, Jessie and the ACLU would be there quicker then quick to be filing a lawsuit and asking for the teacher’s head on a platter.
When I started graduate school to get my teacher certificaion thirteen years ago, a young female teacher from the Pittsburgh Public Schools uttered a statement which made my jaw drop. It was along the lines of “Well everyone knows if you walk into a predominantly Black classroom they are going to be louder.” Funny thing is no one even batted an eyelash. It was my first class on my career path so I chose to not raise an objection, but still that amazed me. We automatically expect Black kids not to behave, and of course without being said, the “culture arguement was just below the surface.
I hate to say this, but I think the school has a point (though probably not the one they were trying to make). That the teachers were subject to racial slurs is secondary to the fact that the whole school was totally, completely out of control.
Not that this makes it any better.
They argued the profanity — with “white†as the adjective†— was “part of the students’ culture,â€
But of course failure to achieve in school is due to systemic discrimination. And violent crime rates are due to a lack of opportunity and police discrimination. And out of wedlock birth rates are due to discriminatory denial of education and access to birth control. And drug use is due to a gov’t plot to destroy the black community.
Blacks cannot be racist. Only whites can be racist.
I believe this one applies “Unless each man prodiuses more than he receives, increases his output, there will be less for him than all the others”, doesn’t it?
This one makes sence “One’s first step in wisdom is to kuesstion everything – and one’s last is to come to terms with everything.”