Missouri student who shot video of teacher’s racist rant didn’t deserve a suspension | Opinion

A teacher repeatedly used a racial epithet inside a southwest Missouri classroom last week. Disturbed by what she heard, a student turned on her mobile phone camera to record the behavior. Her reward for the whistleblowing? Unbelievably, a suspension.

The smartphone video shot at Springfield’s Glendale High School was unnerving, the student’s mother told reporters. On footage circulating in social media, the teacher is heard using a racial slur twice. He allegedly uttered the despicable word at least six times — actions unbecoming of a public educator.

Once the district became aware of the incident, the teacher was immediately removed from the classroom, and that was the right thing to do. The unnamed educator has since stepped down. And rightfully so. We’re not sad to see him go.

However, Springfield Public Schools officials erred by suspending the student three days for the improper use of an electronic device.

The 15-year-old girl was expected to return to school Wednesday, her mother said. She did nothing wrong by recording the teacher’s hateful rhetoric in class.

The teen should have been lauded, in fact. Instead, she has a blemish on her young academic record that could hinder college prospects or post-secondary options.

The student’s mother and family attorney want the district to expunge the three-day suspension, a reasonable request that school officials won’t entertain, according to the family.

The student also has the backing of the Radio Television Digital News Association. In a letter to Superintendent Grenita Lathan, the national trade group’s president and CEO Dan Shelley called on the district to reconsider the suspension. It should.

Citizens’ rights to record activity in public places have routinely been upheld in court, Shelley said, adding that the district’s blanket policy on use of electronic devices infringes on those rights.

“The student says she was recording the teacher’s alleged racist remarks for the express purpose of making a record of the incident should the events in the classroom at that moment come into dispute,” Shelley wrote. “In our opinion, that makes her a lawful whistleblower, not a delinquent. She should be congratulated, not punished.”

The privacy of other minors in the video could have been violated, the student’s mother Kate Wellborn was told. In a statement, district officials stood by the suspension.

The punishment was harsh and unwarranted, Wellborn contends. She believes her daughter did a good deed. Mom isn’t wrong.

All sorts of First Amendment issues are at play here. The right to free speech does not vanish inside a classroom. We respect the district’s electronic device policy. The privacy of other students, faculty and staff is important. But no one should be penalized for exercising a constitutional right.

“To punish someone in this situation who does the right thing, it’s absurd,” Wellborn told reporters.

The comments expressed in the video were inappropriate and did not meet the Springfield district’s professional standards, Glendale principal Josh Groves wrote last week in a message to district stakeholders. It makes little sense to punish the student that brought the comments to light then, right?

Springfield Public Schools and other districts must learn from this: Be flexible enough with your policy so that whistleblowers aren’t punished for coming forward with irrefutable evidence that an employee in a position of great influence over young people in the school’s care has violated the rules.

This story was originally published May 17, 2023 at 12:38 PM.