Middle school teacher in Lawrence suspended after allegedly making racist comments

A middle school teacher in Lawrence has been suspended with pay after allegedly making racist comments during class.

Lawrence Public Schools announced the suspension Wednesday afternoon.

According to a news release from South Middle School, a family member of a student filed a complaint Monday that said a teacher made racist comments during class.

South administrators followed up with an investigation of the incident, including an interview with the teacher, before sharing information with the district’s human resources office Tuesday. The HR office then began its own inquiry, the district said.

The teacher was suspended, with pay, to “ensure a fair and complete investigation,” the news release said. The release did not specify what was allegedly said.

The name of the teacher has not been released by the district due to confidentiality reasons.

According to the Lawrence Journal-World, South is the most racially diverse of the four middle schools in the Lawrence district. Nonwhite students acount for roughly 42 percent of South’s total enrollment, according to numbers made available by the Kansas State Department of Education.

This story was originally published October 19, 2016 at 7:41 PM.