Sacramento teacher who used racial slur chooses to resign, school district says
A seventh-grade teacher who reportedly used a racial slur in front of students at a school in East Sacramento chose to resign rather than challenge her termination, school district officials announced Monday.
The Sacramento City Unified School District announced in a news release that the “teacher who used racist language” in a classroom at Kit Carson International Academy last June no longer works for the district. Officials said the teacher chose to resign, effective April 30, rather than move forward with termination proceedings.
Civil rights attorney Mark Harris, the school district’s community liaison, announced earlier this year that Katherine Sanders, the school teacher at the focus of the investigation, was set be fired after the district determined her conduct was severe enough to call for her dismissal.
“To prevent incidents involving racism and to make our schools more supportive and welcoming to all, the district has implemented mandatory anti-racism training for all staff,” said Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jorge Aguilar said in the news release. “But the work cannot end there. We must continue to confront and interrupt racism so our schools can stay focused on creating equitable learning opportunities for all students.”
The teacher initially was removed from the classroom following the incident and placed on administrative leave during an investigation. On Monday, school district officials said the investigation determined the teacher used racist language during a lesson and continued to use it during the investigative process.
Her words caused an outrage from students, parents, and community leaders who then immediately called for her termination following the initial incident.
“By taking swift and aggressive action in this case, Sac City Unified sent a clear message that racist language by district employees will be addressed,” school district board President Christina Pritchett said in the news release.
In January, the school district appointed Harris to consult on investigations and ensure community transparency in cases of alleged racist behavior in the district.
“This incident goes to the heart of my role with the district, which is to help identify and interrupt inappropriate comments or racial epithets used in the workplace. That’s key to effecting positive change,” Harris said in the news release.
This story was originally published May 2, 2022 at 7:28 PM.
