Lee’s Summit rule makes teachers repeat curses, slurs back to students? That’s *&%$

Joe Oswald, a Lee’s Summit physical education teacher and track and field coach, admitted Wednesday during a nine-hour hearing that he said the n-word when reading from a discipline slip he wrote up on a 13-year-old Black student he heard direct that word toward another student during lunch at Pleasant Lea Middle School.

Obviously, Oswald knew it was wrong for a student to say the word in school, and she ended up with a one-day suspension. A tenured teacher should know better than to repeat the mistake of a 13-year-old.

But Oswald and other teachers, including seven who testified, said they had long been instructed by school leaders that when writing a disciplinary slip they are supposed to write exactly what happened and exactly what was said and then confirm those words verbally with the student.

“I was just making sure that I had it correct,” Oswald told the board at the hearing. “That’s what I have been told to do. And how I was told to do it. I didn’t know you shouldn’t do something that someone doesn’t want us to do. I was reading it back for accuracy. To make sure I wasn’t accusing someone of something they didn’t say. I didn’t say it, I read it. Those were not my words.”

School administrators said, yes, teachers are required to confirm behavior with the student, but even if teachers have been told to read aloud the behavior details as written in their discipline report, there is no rule on the books saying they must repeat vile words.

Hearing teachers repeat things that no one of any age should say back to students must have provided hours of entertainment, but doing so shows an appalling lack of good sense. That direction was foolish and mindlessly following it showed no judgment at all.

The n-word is never appropriate to use

If teachers think they’ve been required to repeat offensive language to confirm what a student is accused of saying, that is the fault of the administration and a colossal failure of communication. How long have teachers been doing this, thinking they were just following the rules?

Given the spate of Kansas City-area teachers and coaches spouting the n-word, districts obviously have to spell out what too many of those in charge of educating our young people can’t seem to suss out on their own: Don’t say the n-word, even when you’re repeating a song lyric. Don’t say the n-word, even when you’re inveighing against the unfairness of Black rappers getting to say a word that you should not even be tempted to say. (!) Do not say the n-word, even when repeating what a suspended 13-year said to another student. To reiterate, don’t say the n-word.

“It’s wrong, it’s always been wrong because it hurts kids,” Superintendent David Buck testified Wednesday. “It was wrong when I was in school, it was wrong in college. It was wrong when I was a teacher. It was wrong as an administrator. It’s not OK. No one says that out loud.” Buck has recommended that Oswald be fired for the offense.

Oswald turned down an option to resign and chose to fight for his job at the public hearing.

There was another student in the office and he heard what Oswald said, but may not have known why he was saying it.

District administrators have accused Oswald of immoral conduct and violating district policy by not maintaining “courteous and professional relationship with students.”

Oswald absolutely should have known better, but again, the confusion shared by multiple teachers shows that administrators are also to blame. Their rule needs to be fired pronto.

‘Hostile school environment for my son’

School leaders learned about the incident after receiving an emailed letter from the father of the second student in the office. “My son along with another student were sitting in an office on school grounds when Mr. Oswald turned and looked into my son’s eyes and aggressively stated ‘N____, what you looking at?’ ” the letter said. “I find Mr. Oswald’s behavior to be extremely inappropriate, unprofessional and creates a hostile school environment for my son and other students.”

Oswald denied that accusation. “I know not to direct a racial slur toward anyone. That is not me,” he told the board. “Those words have never come through my lips toward anyone.”

The student he wrote up for using the n-word, according to testimony from the school principal and assistant principal, confirmed that Oswald had not directed the racial slur toward any student but had only read back to her what she had said. She also told school officials that she was shocked to hear the word said by a white person, and that’s why she asked him to repeat the phrase. He did that.

The question that remained was whether Oswald should be fired or should he get to keep his job, get diversity training and face some other form of discipline.

Dozens of teachers showed up at the hearing to support their colleague. “We know him and he is a good man, a dedicated teacher of really good character,” said Christy Beavers, a middle school speech and theater teacher. Others said they don’t believe Oswald’s career should be ended for doing what they have all been told to do.

The district expected hundreds to show up to the public hearing, after more than 900 people signed a petition supporting Oswald. To limit the crowd, the district used a lottery system requiring anyone who wanted in to show up at 3:30 for tickets and at 4 p.m. for the drawing.

Only 40 people were present for the drawing. They were the only ones allowed in the building, along with reporters. Even though 50 seats remained empty, officials turned away residents who showed up minutes after 4 p.m. for the 5 p.m. meeting. Which was a perfect reflection of the underlying problems here — a lack of judgment and strict adherence to rules, whether or not they make any sense.

This story was originally published June 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.