‘I was shocked.’ Students, parents outraged after Sacramento teacher uses N-word in class

Parents, students and community members are calling for the removal of a Sacramento City Unified School District teacher captured on an audio recording last month using racist slurs during online instruction.

Katherine Sanders, who teaches Spanish at Kit Carson International Academy in Sacramento, said the n-word twice in a discussion with students, saying the word no longer has the meaning it once did.

The school board has since directed district staff to investigate the incident. The board said in a statement it asked “to take appropriate action to address the situation.”

“The Sacramento City Unified School Board was horrified to learn that a teacher at a school in our district used racist language in the classroom,” the board said in its statement. “Our Board condemns racism and the use of racist language in the strongest terms. Racism, racist behaviors, and racist language are unacceptable, and will not be tolerated in the Sacramento City Unified School District.”

Sanders did not respond to a request for comment

On the audio recording, Sanders can be heard comparing the use of different words.

“I know the F-word is something we hear constantly,” said Sanders. “It used to be a nasty word and now it’s like the word n—–, which everybody says, or n—a, which is still a horrible, ugly word as well and it’s not anymore somehow.”

One student on the audio expressed discomfort and not wanting to participate in the conversation.

However, Sanders continued, asking students to “think about words that make things cheap”.

“Oh, what a great conversation, I love it,” Sanders said. “I didn’t anticipate this conversation, I’d love to keep going because I want to hear what you have to say.”

Kit Carson students have since expressed outrage.

“I was shocked and I kind of looked around my classroom,” said Jaslene Freeman, a seventh grade student in Sanders’ class. “I looked at my classmates, too, and we didn’t know what to say.”

Freeman said that where people live does not dictate whether they are permitted to use derogatory terms.

“Whether a bunch of kids use it or not, or whatever neighborhood she lives in. (It) doesn’t matter if it’s an overly-used word, it still gives her no right to use it at all, because it’s a derogatory term,” Freeman said.

This wasn’t the first time Sanders has used a derogatory term, students said. Student Monica Sandoval said Sanders used offensive terms to describe Latino students and attempted to justify the language by saying everyone says it.

“We would try telling her and she would get mad and send us to detention,” said Sandoval. “I always got detention in her class whenever I would tell her something about it.”

Sandoval said that her classmates’ concerns were ignored by school administrators.

Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jorge Aguilar wrote in an email to parents and students that use of such language is not acceptable.

“Any comment by the teacher that a racial slur is now somehow ‘okay’ is not a position that is shared by or will be tolerated by this district,” he wrote. “The language used in the recording is inexcusable and the District will be investigating this matter further and offering support to our students and families.”

A teacher who wished to remain anonymous because she was not authorized to speak about the matter said she’s spent some time with Sanders outside of school hours and doesn’t believe Sanders is racist, but naive and misguided. She said Sanders has a good heart and is devoted to her students.

However, the teacher said, she was “foolish” to try and connect with her students in that manner.

Berry Accius, community activist and founder of Voice of the Youth, and others have questioned whether the required racial sensitivity training for teachers has been successful.

“What happened to professionalism?” Accius said. “What happened to all those so-called ‘implicit bias trainings’ and ‘anti-racism trainings’ that these schools are supposedly having these teachers go through every year?” Accius has demanded the immediate removal of Sanders, along with other demands to ensure this does not occur again.

Those demands include:

SCUSD adopting a zero-tolerance policy for racial rhetoric and hate speech on school campuses.

▪ Establishing a culturally responsive support team.

▪ Hiring and retaining Black and Latino teachers.

▪ And removing the clause to opt out of anti-bias/anti-racial professional development.

“It was just Pride Month, if that magical F-bomb was used towards our LGBTQ students, I guarantee you she would have been fired,” Accius said.

Aguilar said he stands with concerned parents, students and community members. He added that after the investigation concludes, he will have the final say regarding discipline.

Some parents said they don’t want to hear excuses made for Sanders’ behavior.

Ashley Freeman, Jaslene Freeman’s mother, said she believes the school needs to deal with the underlying issues.

“Initially, it is shock,” she said. “But I just feel like in the climate that we’re in today, people that do have some racial issues or some people that maybe are undercover racist are feeling more and more comfortable to say these types of things, because they know that the consequences will be very little, if any at all.

“If she is still employed,” she added, “my daughter won’t be returning to Kit Carson.”

https://www.sacbee.com/news/equity-lab/representation/article252481443.html