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A northern Utah branch of the NAACP is launching an investigation to determine if a formal complaint should be lodged against a white teacher who used a racially charged word during his junior high class.
NAACP Ogden branch president Rev. Stanley Ellington said Tuesday that he wants to find out if history teacher Douglas Barker's use of the N-word before showing his class the Civil War movie "Glory" was an isolated incident or a pattern of behavior. He may pursue a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education depending on what he finds.
"It's difficult to understand why a history teacher would want to teach about a racial slur and put an emphasis on that racial slur?" Ellington said.
Weber Schools Superintendent Jeff Stephens said he's happy to talk about the incident with the NAACP but warned he won't be able to discuss certain matters to protect the privacy of students and teachers.
Stephens said Barker won't be fired or put on probation, but said the veteran teacher was told his use of the N-word was inappropriate and unnecessary.
Barker was put on paid administrative leave for three days and given "corrective action." Stephens said he couldn't discuss the details of that action due to privacy rules.
Stephens said interviews with 10-12 students revealed they interpreted Barker's discussion same way the teacher intended: To explain the historical context of the word and prepare them for what they would hear in the movie. Stephens declined to say if any of those students was black.
"We did talk to him about an inconsistency in telling students why they shouldn't use the term and then using the term," Stephens said. "There's a reason we don't use the term in schools, especially with 13-year-old children. It's offensive, it's insulting. It is part of an ugly chapter of nation's history."
The Standard-Examiner in Ogden first reported the NAACP's investigation.
Barker wasn't immediately available for comment. He said in an email to the AP last week that his intent was not to offend, but help his students understand why the word would be used in the film, and told them it is not an appropriate term.
The incident became public after parent Holly Frye complained to the South Ogden Junior High School. Frye told The Associated Press that her 14-year-old son doesn't feel safe at school anymore after the teacher spent an entire period last month saying and defining the word. She and her son are black.
Ellington stopped short of saying what punishment Barker should receive, but said he doesn't consider the paid administrative leave sufficient.
"He was given the benefit of the doubt that he did nothing wrong," Ellington said. "The only thing he had to do was stay home and still get paid. He didn't have to teach for three days. That's not a punishment."