London, Ont., teacher removed from class after using the N-word during a lesson

A high school teacher in London, Ont., has not been back in the classroom since using the N-word while reading song lyrics during an English class about metaphors and allusions last week. 

Students at Saunders Secondary School say the teacher was reading from the Black Eyed Peas song Where Is The Love? which has the N-word in one of the verses. 

"Instead of skipping over it or discussing it with the class, she just blatantly said it, as if it was a normal word," said Kayla Derbyshire, 16, a student in the Grade 12 college-level English class in which the word was said.

"One of the students got pretty upset and told her that what she said was not okay, and that it can't be said because it's obviously a word we shouldn't be throwing around, especially in a school setting where it could offend people." 

Unsatisfied with the reply from the teacher, who suggested the student was overreacting, the student reported the teacher to administrators, Derbyshire said. 

"You can't just throw that word around and hope that no one gets mad or no one says anything about it," Derbyshire said. "I am very surprised because I thought, of all people a teacher would not have said it and would have just skipped over the word and left it at that." 

Students say the teacher has not been back to school since the incident happened last Tuesday, Nov. 16.

CBC News is attempting to contact the teacher for comment before releasing that person's name. At the time of publication, the teacher had not been reached. 

When contacted by CBC News last week, the Thames Valley District School Board wouldn't say what discipline the teacher faced. On Monday when asked again, officials said the teacher was "removed from teaching duties" while an investigation is being conducted.  

"My expectation is that all staff are aware there is no justifiable reason to use racist words in a Thames Valley school," TVDSB Education Director, Mark Fisher, said in ra statement.  

"Using words that reflect a history of white colonialism, oppression, and racism, even in the context of deconstructing art or music, can create traumatic, emotional triggers for racialized students. The Thames Valley District School Board is committed to equitable outcomes for all students." 

It can be difficult to stand up and speak out, particularly against an authority figure such as a teacher, said Alexandra Kane, who speaks for Black Lives Matter London. 

"I'm proud of the strength and the fortitude of those students who came forward. It shows us that what we are doing is right," Kane said.