The Arlington Independent School District announced it fired a substitute teacher on Monday for allegedly using the N-word in front of elementary school students.
According to Fox 4 News, the incident occurred the previous Friday, May 6, at Swift Elementary School in Arlington.
Fox spoke with a teacher in an off-camera interview, during which she explained her understanding of the incident.
The teacher said she was in the hallway when she noticed a nearby classroom was very loud. She told Fox she approached the classroom and spoke with the students, who told her what had apparently happened.
Allegedly, a substitute teacher had scolded a sixth-grade student for saying, “Oh my God!” When asked why they could not say that, the substitute apparently responded that it would be like using Jesus’ name in vain.
The substitute teacher then allegedly went further to say the student using the phrase “Oh my God” would be similar to the substitute saying the “N-word.”
The intervening teacher then asked the substitute about it, and he allegedly replied, “Yes, I said n***er, and I’ll say it again.”
Arlington school district said it was unaware of the incident until May 9, when a complaint from a parent was received via email. The district fired the substitute teacher the same day after a brief investigation into the incident.
“During the investigation, the district confirmed that inappropriate language was used, and the substitute was terminated,” Arlington ISD wrote in a statement. “The district does not condone the use of any offensive, derogatory or inappropriate language in educational learning environments.”
The Arlington Independent School District did not reveal the substitute’s identity or employment history, and no further details were available.