Calif. teacher caught on video trying to make student use N-word

A language arts teacher in California was caught on video using the N-word multiple times in class – and allegedly tried to force a student to utter the racial slur because it’s in the dictionary.

The teacher at Sequoia Middle School in Fontana was discussing Mark Twain’s classic novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” where the word appears many times, ABC 7 reported.

One of the eighth-graders reportedly asked the unidentified woman how to spell the word.

“The teacher got in front of the class and she was saying that the word is just an English word and everybody can say it if she wants to, it’s in the dictionary, and people are oversensitive over the word,” a black student who shot the video told the outlet.

“She was trying to force him to say the word and she repeatedly kept saying it and she had a smirk on her face. I was just thinking, ‘Dang, this teacher is out of her mind,’” added the student, who asked to remain anonymous.

In the viral clip, the teacher is seen hovering over the uncomfortable student as he hunches over a table.

“You asked me how to spell it, so go ahead and pronounce it, n—. Pronounce it after me, n—, n—,” she says with a slight smirk as the class giggles.

 “He was getting uncomfortable. He was shaking his head and starts to put his head down,” the student who captured the exchange told KTLA.

The teacher uttered the slur about 15 times, according to the child.

Bianca Gibbons, a parent who shared the alarming footage on Facebook, wrote: “This took place at my Daughters school in Fontana at Sequoia Middle School … please stop racism and verbal violence bullying.”

She added: “This teacher should be fired.”

Another mom, Caroline Rivera, told ABC 7 that the teacher should be disciplined.

“Pulling the teacher out? Maybe going through training again?” she said.

School officials have not commented on disciplinary measures.

In a statement to media outlets, the district said it  “has been made aware of a video circulating on social media depicting a recent incident at Sequoia Middle School.

“During this incident, an exchange occurred between students and a teacher regarding a derogatory term encountered during a lesson related to a Mark Twain novel,” it said.

“While we acknowledge that this derogatory language comes from a novel first published in the late 1800s, and that historical context is important to consider when discussing literature, the District does not condone the language that was used in the video or using that language outside of the context of discussing the novel,” the statement added.

The district said it is “currently investigating this situation,” adding that “while we cannot provide additional detail at this time, please be assured that the District takes this and all reports of demeaning language seriously, addresses the matter promptly and takes any necessary action.

KTLA reported that the teacher has been allowed back into the classroom and reportedly said she didn’t care about what the students or their parents think.

She told ABC 7 that she did not wish to comment.