Update: Elk Grove teacher placed on leave after using racist meme in middle school assignment
Elk Grove Unified School District is conducting an investigation after a teacher shared a depiction of money labeled “N-word buck” as part of a history lesson. The teacher has been placed on leave, a district spokesperson confirmed to The Sacramento Bee.
A worksheet depicting this fictitious money was handed out to Katherine Albiani Middle School students in late February for Black History Month.
The counterfeit bill contains the racial slur, an offensive caricature of a Black person and references to anti-Black stereotypes surrounding alcoholism and reliance on government welfare. The image is an internet meme found on niche Reddit pages and forums.
The image was included on a sheet titled “History of the N-word” which also contained a bolded warning that “some of the content in this writing may be offensive to children.” The lesson contains content from a blog post on the African American Registry website.
In a letter to school staff and families Monday, Principal Chris Rauschenfels wrote that the district “does not condone the use of such materials” and that “the materials do not represent nor reflect the district’s core values.”
Elk Grove Unified has not shared the identity of the teacher.
This is not the first time this image has been seen in a Sacramento educational setting — two students were suspended from Umoja International Academy, then called Kit Carson International Academy, for circulating the same counterfeit bills on campus.
Over a dozen public speakers took to the podium at Tuesday night’s board meeting to share their shock, concern and sadness over the lesson.
One speaker said that the assignment hearkens back to Elk Grove’s era as a “sundown town,” where racial segregation was enforced by intimidation or violence.
“The incident I reported on Thursday February 27th about the ‘N-bucks’ is far bigger than me,” Kathy Wilson, an instructional coach and member of the district’s Families of Black Students United. “It is a reflection of the systemic challenges Black students, family staff and the broader community have faced for generations.”
Public speaker Jessica Carter said that she was upset by the district’s letter to school families, which she felt did not substantially address the incident.
“While I recognize this matter is under investigation, I have to say, unequivocally, the material referred to as ‘racially-insensitive’ in the letter is without a doubt racist to its core,” she said. “My fear is that the adults who played a role in the situation will skirt accountability and we won’t see the change that we need at our schools.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 1:25 PM.
