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Students voice concerns after teacher uses racial slur
Decatur High School students are voicing their frustrations and concerns over a teacher's recent use of a racial slur during class. Students say the teacher's brief suspension is not enough.
DECATUR, Ga. - Students, faculty and community members united Wednesday in a town hall dedicated to giving Black students a chance to speak after a white teacher at Decatur High School openly used a racial slur on Dec. 7 in front of students.
The teenagers that spoke all agreed the teacher's suspension of less than a week, the lack of a public apology and school transparency has been unacceptable.
"If you were really an ally, and you really stood with us, you wouldn’t be trying to keep this a secret," Lindsey Davis, a DHS senior, said. "You wouldn’t be trying to sweep this under the rug."
A video from Dec. 16 shows a brief interaction between Principal Rochelle Lofstrand and students after they organized a walkout.
"Remember, we have to do this together. I’m only one person," she said as students booed.
Email sent out to Decatur High School parents.
Two days later, the principal sent families an email. In it was a very brief description of the actual incident.
"Our community still has work to do to address the harm stemming from an incident on Dec. 7, when a White staff member used the n-word in class in front of students," it read.
Later in the email, Lofstrand addressed the walkout.
"When students moved the protest into the building, it significantly increased the disruption to the orderly operation of school above the outdoor protest," the email continued.
"I don’t want you to identify our anger and our being tired as disruption. You telling me that we’re disruptive is communicating to me that you don’t understand what we’re doing here, let alone do you care," Davis said.
FOX 5's Brittany Edney reached out to the Board of Education for City of Decatur Schools and the superintendent regarding the incident.
Both said they could not comment on personnel matters, but that the superintendent was working with the principal on steps that are expected to be in place once students return in January.