South-Doyle High School teacher suspended over complaints he used racist slur in classroom

Areena Arora Angela Dennis
Knoxville News Sentinel

Knox County Schools suspended a South-Doyle High School teacher with pay March 27 while administrators investigate complaints he repeatedly used a racist slur in a discussion about the word during a sophomore chemistry class.

In two videos posted on Facebook, the teacher and students talk about whether it's ever OK to use the N-word, who can use it and in what context. The teacher can be heard saying the slur several times even as the students tell him he should not be using the word.

Malayia Pelcher, who was in the first period class, told Knox News she was hurt by the exchange, which started when the teacher singled out a student for being loud in class, then used the word when the student asked why he was being called out.

“The whole thing made me feel like our teacher doesn’t care about us," Pelcher said. "Why would you say that to us as a class when we didn't do anything to you?"

The videos do not include the beginning of the interaction, or clearly show those participating in the conversation, but they capture audio.

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Knox County Schools said in a written statement to Knox News that it "does not tolerate any instances of racism."

Knox News has asked KCS for additional information about the incident. Spokeswoman Carly Harrington told Knox News the teacher's status could change as the investigation proceeds.

South-Doyle High School has more than 1,000 students, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Education. Twenty-six percent are students of color.

Areena Arora is a Knox News data investigative reporter and covers education. Email areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Twitter @AreenaArora.

Angela Dennis is the Knox News social justice, race and equity reporter. Email angela.dennis@knoxnews.com. Twitter @AngeladWrites. Instagram @angeladenniswrites. Facebook at Angela Dennis Journalist.