O’Fallon teacher dismissed after allegedly calling students slaves
A teacher at Joseph Arthur Middle School in the O’Fallon Central School District 104 has been dismissed after allegedly referring to two mixed-race students as slaves.
The incident allegedly occurred in January. The children’s parents said during a board meeting in February that the teacher referred to the two students as “slave No. 1 and slave No. 4” during a student council meeting.
The school board issued a “notice of remedy” to the teacher in during a special meeting Feb. 16. It’s not known what the discipline to the teacher entailed. However, Board of Education President Sarah Svoboda issued an apology from the board at the same meeting.
“We would like to begin by letting everyone know that our lack of any immediate response Monday night (Feb. 13) was not due to our lack of concern or lack of desire to respond,” Svoboda’s statement said. “Rather, it was so that we could discuss this matter at length as a board, determine the most appropriate course of action, and exercise due diligence before providing a unified response. To the families and particularly the children involved, we wish to extend a sincere apology for the comments that were made to you. In no way did those remarks reflect the beliefs of the teachers, administration or board of this school district. We thank you for bringing this very important matter to our attention and we want you to know that we are committed to doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again in the future.”
According to the Feb. 16 meeting minutes, 14 individuals addressed the board regarding the the racially charged incident.
According to minutes, the children’s mother, “Thanked the board for the apology,” but “asked if it was enough.”
“We need to help the students learn to live with other races, religions,” the minutes attribute the mother as requesting.
Ultimately, board voted 6-0 vote April 10 to dismiss the teacher. School officials would not comment further.
“I will not comment on matters of personnel,” John Bute, Central School District 104 superintendent, said.
Requests for comment from the district attorney, parents and the teacher went unanswered.
This story was originally published April 20, 2017 at 7:56 AM with the headline "O’Fallon teacher dismissed after allegedly calling students slaves."