Sacramento teacher under investigation for using racist epithet in classroom discussion

A recording revealing a teacher using racist and derogatory language in her classroom has prompted an investigation by the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Two weeks ago, a Kit Carson International Academy teacher asked her class to, “think about words that make things cheap.”

“I know the F-word is something we hear constantly,” she continued. “It used to be a nasty, ugly word. And now it’s like the word (N-word) which everybody says or (N-word).”

Some of the students in her classroom responded immediately to their teacher’s comments. One student asked, “Who says that’s not a horrible word?”

On Thursday, several community activists came to the school to speak out about the incident and the teacher, identified as Katherine Sanders. They were joined by SCUSD Superintendent Jorge Aguilar, who listened to their concerns.

District officials took action, launching an investigation into the incident at the school, which teaches pupils in grades 7 through 12.

“We apologize to students who experienced this unacceptable and despicable commentary in their classroom, as well as the entire district and school site community,” read a statement Wednesday by Aguilar. “To be clear, the teacher’s statements do not reflect the values of our district, where we condemn racism in any form.

“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. The language used in the recording is inexcusable and the District will be investigating this matter further and offering supports to our students and families.”

On Thursday, Aguilar told the assembled community activists that Sanders would no longer be teaching at Kit Carson, but declined to comment on her status with the district.

This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 11:24 AM.