Fresno teacher used ‘inappropriate language’ during class discussion about the n-word
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A Tioga Middle School teacher allegedly used a version of the n-word recently during a classroom discussion with students.
Fresno Unified spokesperson Nikki Henry confirmed the district was aware of the incident but said she couldn’t comment further Thursday, citing personnel issues.
The teacher’s identity was not released, and it wasn’t immediately clear what actions the district was taking to address the issue.
The incident took place Nov. 8, according to a message sent to families by Tioga Middle School Principal Kevin Evangelinos.
The teacher and their students were discussing the use of the racial epithet, and the teacher repeated back a version of the word using an “M” instead of an “N,” Evangelinos said in the statement.
He called it “inappropriate language.”
“No matter the context, we do not condone the use of the “N” word, or a word sounding very similar and meant to replace the “N” word, by our staff while on the worksite,” Evangelinos said. “There is a deep and painful history with this word, and we know it can be triggering and traumatizing for some to hear.”
The school contacted the district’s Human Resources Department, which was addressing the issue, the principal’s statement said.
Issues of racism have surfaced frequently in recent years at Fresno Unified schools.
In May, a photo that appeared to show a student pretending to wear a KKK-style hood inside the Bullard High School weight room triggered student-led walk-outs at several city schools.
Separately, Bullard High football Coach Don Arax is suing FUSD Trustee Kiesha Thomas and the district over remarks Thomas made in a media interview, in which Thomas said Arax had called one of her sons the n-word.
Arax vehemently denied the incident and filed a defamation suit, which is pending in Fresno County Superior Court.
In June 2019, a video and photo of a Fresno Unified student in blackface and using racial slurs circulated online.
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California called the district a “hostile environment” for Black students and filed a complaint a few months later against the district for discriminating against two victims of the incident.
Amid the wave of protests after a police officer murdered George Floyd in June 2020, a Fresno Unified middle school teacher came under fire for comments she wrote about protesters on her personal Facebook page, which were later taken down.
“Those of you who call yourselves ‘EDUCATORS’ and are on your social media platform supporting the rioting/looting/ criminal behavior going on...... YOU DISGUST ME! I pray to God my students are smarter and less ghetto than you!!” the post said.
Also in June 2020 during an end-of-year virtual celebration, a teacher said “I can’t breathe” while acting out running from the police in a game of charades, according to emails obtained by The Fresno Bee through a Public Records Act request.
Several teachers spoke out about the incident and attested to a culture of racism in the district. Fresno Unified declined to share outcomes of an investigation into the incident due to “the confidential nature of personnel matters.”
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