An Iowa high school staffer has been captured on camera calling a student the N-word. The video began circulating on social media last week, prompting school officials to respond and distance themselves from the man’s actions.
The Dubuque Hempstead High School has placed the worker on leave after the incident.
The white male staffer is seen using the racial slur as a tall Black male student walks by him in the school’s hallway. The three-second clip does not provide context to the comment.
“What you looking at n***er,” he says.
However, Assistant Principal Julia Jorgenson says no context is needed — it does not represent the school’s core values.
Related: Principal Resigns After Black Student Who Received Piece of Copper with N-Word Engraved Sparked Protest That Called Out School for Not Taking Harassment Claims Seriously
In a statement released to the school community, she said, “I want to be clear in saying that the actions shown in this video are not acceptable and do not represent the values of Hempstead High School or the Dubuque Community School District.”
Jorgenson explained in the letter, addressed to Hempstead families, that the staff member was placed on leave and the district has already begun investigating the incident. She also promised that the district would execute “appropriate disciplinary action,” pending the outcome of the probe.
The note expressed the school’s desire to create “a safe, inclusive learning environment,” adding, “Today, for many, Hempstead did not live up to that expectation.”
Hempstead is a part of the Dubuque Community School District. The district is predominately white with a small minority student population, with Black students making up only less than 10 percent of the student body, according to US News and Report.
Racial discrimination continues to be an issue for the nearly all-white town of Dubuque, even 30 years after the community made national…
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