A school employee used a racial slur during a discussion on racism and discrimination with fourth-grade students at Shepherd Elementary School in D.C. on Wednesday, according to the school’s assistant principal.
It happened after “racist incident” between fourth-grade students at Shepherd Elementary, according to an email Assistant Principal Shamayne Coles sent to parents on Wednesday evening.
After the incident, the staff member gathered the students and asked them to separate into groups determined by race. The staff member used an “unabbreviated” racial slur, the letter said.
“I want to apologize for this unacceptable conversation. Students should never be asked to segregate by race or hear racist terminology used within the safety of our school building,” Coles said.
Coles added that the school will be receiving support from the district’s Equity Team. There will also be a “restorative conversation” with the fourth-grade cohort focused on “repairing harm, providing a space for students to process, and identifying our path forward.”
A parent, who did not want to be identified, expressed outrage at what happened on Wednesday.
In a statement to WTOP, D.C. Public Schools said, “We’re not providing comment on personnel matters at this time, and the letter to the Shepherd community should be attributed as the district’s statement.”
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report
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