Fort Worth ISD’s Superintendent Recommends the Firing of a Teacher After Racist Video Circulates Internet

Fort Worth ISD’s Superintendent is recommending a teacher be fired after a controversial video went viral.

Kent Scribner said he was “disgusted by the inexcusable behavior that took place” in a Paschal High School classroom.

The 3-minute and 18-second cellphone video is poor quality and hard to tell who took the video. The video shows a student repeatedly using the N-word, other racial slurs, and derogatory references during a classroom presentation.

“There is no place for this kind of language in our society, much less in our schools,” Scribner said. “I am appalled by the conduct of the adult in the room and saddened by the message that it sends to our students.”

The teacher can be heard condoning the student’s actions and saying, “The point is not to be offensive. It’s his interpretation.”

Scribner said the teacher supervising the students should “no longer be employed by Fort Worth ISD.”

The names of the teacher and the student have not been released.

The district did not confirm what the classroom assignment was, however, parents say students were told to write their interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

A group of clergy members and community members gathered outside the high school campus Thursday morning with demands to the district. In addition to filing a federal civil rights complaint, they are demanding certain school staff be fired. They are also calling for more district-wide training.

The school board met during a special board meeting Thursday evening, but the Paschal High School issue wasn’t brought up.