Juanita High School teacher disciplined for using racial slur in class

A Juanita High School teacher was suspended for three days without pay after two incidents last year which involved offensive language and jokes.

A Juanita High School teacher was suspended for three days without pay after two incidents last year which involved offensive language and jokes.

In disciplinary documents obtained by the Kirkland Reporter, the Lake Washington School District found the teacher, who had been with the district for 18 years, had violated district policies, including the human dignity, staff conduct and harassment policies during his history class.

The documents also matched previous coverage of one of the incidents, where on Oct. 22 of last year, the teacher, who is white, had repeatedly used the n-word in a class discussion.

The conversation cut into instructional time, and became so uncomfortable that one student left for the remainder of the class, the documents said.

In another incident outlined in the documents, on Nov. 9 of last year, the teacher also made what the district felt was an inappropriate a joke about Caitlyn Jenner.

Additionally, the documents said the teacher had never been previously disciplined by the district.

In a meeting between the teacher and district personnel, the teacher asked if it was appropriate to quote racial slurs from historical books or music lyrics, the documents said.

However, the teacher’s use of the slur was instead used to ask “pointed questions regarding your ability to use the n-word using hypothetical situations,” the document said.

The teacher then asked the district Human Resources Director if using a racial slur for Asian-Americans was offensive, to which she “unequivocally responded ‘yes’,” the document said.

In an email, the mother of the student who left the class during the first incident said her daughter had transfered to Lake Washington High School due to emotional trauma.

She said since her daughter transfered schools, she is doing much better.