A teacher in Newton County, Georgia has been suspended after using a racial slur caught on camera.
The video of the Alcovy High School art teacher was posted on social media and sparked some outrage from students. As reported by Fox 5 Atlanta, the teacher, Alexandrea Boyington, is seen sitting at a desk and discussing when it’s okay to use the n-word.
“Say I date a Black guy,” Boyington, who is white, said. “Then I can say n***a?”
After many of the students replied “no,” the teacher continued, “‘Cause I got a n***a,” and the footage cuts off shortly after.
Apparently, several students were not impressed.
“There was no reason for her to say that,” said Malik Montgomery, a senior.
“When I saw the video, I was disappointed because as a teacher you are supposed to keep your profession, and just keep your composure.”
Boyington has been banned from the classroom following the incident. The district is now investigating the situation. Two years ago, she was named teacher of the year. Boyington has taught high school art for more than a decade.
“Over the weekend, Newton County School System administrators received notification of a video circulating online that allegedly involved an Alcovy High School teacher making inappropriate statements in class,” a spokesperson for Newton County Schools told Fox 5. “The teacher, Ms. Alexandrea Boyington, is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome of our investigation.”
Montgomery said the teacher “should just lose her job.”
The incident comes nearly a month after another Louisiana school teacher made headlines for using the N-word.
Lafayette elementary teacher Julie Colley used the slur when commenting in a Facebook group called “Whatz Goin On in Acadiana.”
As previously reported by theGRIO, Colley was responding to a post about a back-to-school giveaway, and in a comment to the start time of the event, she wrote, “Im not going at 6:30. Cameron St? That’s [n-word]ville after dark lol.”
The post was deleted from the group’s page but lives on in screenshots.
Marja Broussard, vice president of District D for the NAACP Louisiana State Conference, issued a statement at the time on Colley’s words, writing, “We are appalled and hurt, but sadly not surprised to learn someone entrusted to guide and nurture our children, so easily shared such hatred for Black and Brown people, in a public forum. The racist anti-Black mentality has been alive in our community for decades, and we will stand up against it every time until it is eradicated.”
“We will not tolerate this bigotry that continues to traumatize our youth and further the narrative that our Black children are second-class citizens,” she continued. “The NAACP Louisiana State Conference, along with our district leaders and members, are calling on the Lafayette Parish School Board and Superintendent Irma Trosclair to institute racial and cultural diversity trainings for all staff immediately.”
This story contains additional reporting from theGRIO’s Biba Adams.
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