A white Pflugerville ISD teacher was suspended after a video was posted online of him telling black students that his race was “superior.”
“Basically, I’m very ethno-centric,” the anonymous teacher told students at Bohls Middle School. “Which means I think my race is superior,” he added.
The teacher appeared to be addressing the statement to two black students. The video shows these two students sitting in stunned silence, one of them covering his face with his hand while the other students listened carefully with shock before eventually bursting out laughing.
Several students challenged the teacher. A black student told the teacher that he liked “all kinds of races” while another responded by informing the teacher of his immediate lack of respect for him due to his controversial statement.
“Wait, so you said you are what?” another student asked. “You are racist?” The teacher, however, responded by stating that he believes that everyone is in fact, racist.
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“You said you are racist,” the student told the teacher.
“I did, I’m going to be honest with you,” the teacher responded before telling the student to put his phone away.
In a letter obtained by KXAN, Bohls Middle School principal Sharon Churchill told parents that the teacher had been placed on leave pending the investigation.
“This interaction is contrary to our core beliefs as an institution,” the letter read. “The video of the conversation contains phrases that we feel are inappropriate.”
While the letter addressed the racist remarks by the teacher, it also appreciated the students for speaking up for themselves in the face ofsuch an uncomfortable situation.
“We always do our best to ensure the safety of all students; we encourage them to speak up for themselves and tell an adult if something is wrong, as they did in this case; it could be a parent, teacher, or counselors happening,” wrote Churchill.
