‘Abhorrent incident:’ Kansas City charter school fires teacher who used N-word in class

University Academy, a Kansas City charter school, has fired a white history teacher who students say repeatedly used the N-word during class, sparking widespread outrage.

Last month, University Academy students and alumni brought forward concerns about Johnny Wolfe, a history and African American studies teacher at the upper school, 6801 Holmes Road. They said Wolfe used the racial slur multiple times in his classes, mostly made up of Black students.

Students took videos and voice recordings while confronting their teacher about his use of the slur, which were later posted by KC Defender, a Black nonprofit community media platform.

In one video, with the camera mostly pointed at the ceiling, the teacher can be heard saying, “Just like African Americans call themselves N****.”

In the recordings, he defends his use of the slur, saying that “We cannot police other people’s speech” and he was speaking in an “educational context.”

“You can like it, not like it, be upset about it all you like,” he said. “But ultimately this is a ridiculous conversation.”

In one recording, he said: “I probably should not have said it” based on students’ “educational level.”

University Academy officials said in a letter to families that it was “ a completely unacceptable and abhorrent incident.”

“The incident not only violated school policy, but also does not represent the standard of excellence we expect at the school. We are deeply saddened and sorry for the impact the incident has had on students, parents, alumni, staff and the community. The nature of the incident is contrary to the very mission for which the school was created.”

Officials said they are using the incident as an opportunity “to understand where we have fallen short and made mistakes. We are committed to evolve and improve. Our objective is to return University Academy to a manner that ensures an incident of this nature does not occur again.”

Independent investigation

After the incident was made public, Wolfe was put on administrative leave.

Students, parents and community members then held a town hall to address racism at the school and call for action. The group demanded that Wolfe be terminated; that a diversity and inclusion task force be formed; that University Academy hire more diverse staff members; and that the school implement more mandatory diversity training.

In a Change.org petition to remove the teacher, alumni said that students were “subjected to this intellectual violence” and were “bravely expressing their feelings of discomfort about his use of the racial slur, as well as its impact on their educational experience.

“In response, Mr. Wolfe continued to repeat the racial slur, referencing pop culture as a form of justification. Instead of taking responsibility and accountability, this man gaslit young Black students and belittled their intelligence. This is unacceptable behavior of ANY educator.”

University Academy officials said in its latest letter to families that they hired Anthony McDaniel, of Gunn Mundorf, LLC, to conduct an independent investigation, as well as Nicole Price, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consultant.

Based on the investigation, as well as feedback from students, staff, parents and the community, the board of directors committed to several next steps, the letter says.

They include terminating the teacher and ensuring he will not return to University Academy.

Harassment and discrimination training

Superintendent Rebecca Gudde said she will immediately develop an improvement plan for the upper school, which will “address the workplace culture so that it is emotionally intelligent, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive.”

Officials also said that harassment and discrimination training will be mandatory and repeated in January and in the spring, plus administrators will complete culturally responsive leadership training. The superintendent will review the school’s mental health services for impacted students, as well as begin a search to hire a permanent counselor or social worker.

University Academy officials say they will also work to increase the racial diversity of its staff. In its letter, officials said that staff members are currently 39% Black, 59% white, 1% Asian and 1% Hispanic. The superintendent says she will develop a plan to better recruit and retain Black teachers.

In addition, the charter school plans to review its diversity and equity committee, as well as harassment and discrimination policies. And it will schedule meetings with students and alumni at least twice a year “for open dialogue.”

University Academy is a top-rated public charter school with about 1,100 students, 96% of which are students of color, and most are Black.

“We are deeply sorry for the pain this has caused our community and value our unwavering commitment to continuous improvement,” officials said.

A string of Kansas City area teachers have been fired over the past couple of years for using the N-word with students. Last year, a Park Hill teacher asked to retire after the district said it was seeking to terminate him after he repeated a racial slur said by a Black student.

A Harrisonville high school science teacher was terminated last year after students testified that he made several racist comments in the classroom. And the Olathe school board last year agreed to fire Olathe North High School’s head baseball coach after he used a racial slur toward a Black player.