Teacher sues school district for the right to use offensive language.

[LSN80]

6th grade writing teacher Lincoln Brown believed he was leading a producitve discussion surrounding the usage of the word "N*gger", and even believed he had the support of the school principal, Greg Mason. Mason, who is black, had heard about the ongoing lessons the teacher had been giving regarding usage of the word, and came to observe in the classroom himself.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/teacher-sues-word-class/story?id=15720450#.Tz746PGPW8A

When one student in his classroom wrote a rap in which he called a black classmate a n*gger, Brown saw it as a "teachable moment, one in which he could turn a negative into a positive." It's important to note here that the writing assignments were private, not ones read alone within the classroom. So it was Brown who brought the rap including the word "n*gger" up for discussion, not a knee jerk reaction to it being read aloud by a student. Brown further commented on the incident:

"I looked at it and it had some words in it that were very offensive to me and that's when we came into this discussion of the N-word," Brown said of the October incident. "And I used the curriculum from the Southern Poverty Law Center, and followed their advice on how to tackle these kinds of problems, not to avoid them. The whole lesson basically was about racial profiling, racisim and also being very careful about how you use words in public."

Brown went on to further state that he was condemning the usage of the word, with it's usage in the novel Huckelberry Finn being an example of how upsetting the usage of the word can be. This account was disputed by the principal, as he called the Brown into his office two weeks later, suspending him five days without pay. According to Principal Greg Mason's statement, the following was the reasoning behind Brown's suspension:

“He was using verbally abusive language in front of students and cruel, immoral, negligent or criminal conduct or communication to a student, that causes psychological or physical harm, in violation of the Chicago Public Schools policy.

The very instant I entered the room, I heard Mr. Brown discussing with the entire class of students on the word, ‘N*****’ ‘Even today, I still hear people use the word N*****,’ stated Mr. Brown. Brown then asked, “can anyone explain to me why blacks can call each other a n*****, and not get mad, but when whites do it, blacks get angry".

And here is where things get interesting, folks. On one account, Brown's side of the story paints himself as simply educating students, using references from not only Huckelberry Finn, but from pop culture as well. Further, Brown is arguing that his lessons using the word was one of educating the students as to the dangers and racism of using the word, and depicted the classroom as "engaged and excited" by the discussion.

However, Principal Mason's account tells a completely different story. For example, his account involves Brown seemingly using this discussion to further his own personal agenda. The best example of this is where Mason contends that Brown was asking for explanations as to why black people can use the word and it's cool, but it angers blacks when white people use the word. He also noted that Brown discussed how there's a belief that "the blacks are always killed first in movies", and how those who buy into that belief are "no better than the media’s portrayal of blacks."

Brown appealed the suspension to the Chicago Board of Education, who denied his appeal, and ruled that his punishment was just. This prompted Brown to file a federal lawsuit against the school district, and Principal Mason himself, with the logic being that his 1st and 5th Amendment rights were violated, specifically involving freedom of speech and due process. With the appeal being decided upon yesterday, Brown began serving his suspension today. He did issue a statement regarding the process:

It's something I can't accept and can't have on my record, and more importantly, it's not who I am. I have no regret over the way I handled it, but not everybody agrees. It's a hot-button issue. I wish Principal Mason had told me during or immediately after the lesson that he was unhappy with the discussion."

Spokeswoman for the school district, Robyn Ziegler, issued the following statement in regards to the lawsuit:

"The principal determined that the way the teacher used the word was improper and imposed a short suspension.The teacher appealed the suspension to the Office of Employee Relations. Following a hearing, at which the teacher was represented by an attorney, the hearing officer upheld the suspension. The teacher has received sufficient due process. In our opinion, his federal lawsuit is without merit."

This is a toughie for me, as the accounts related by the principal and the teacher respectively are so different. I do question the usage of the word in front of sixth-graders, but is it that far fetched to believe these students have likely heard this word before, within its context? I'm assuming they likely have in this day and age, but is the classroom the appropriate place to further this discussion? If Brown's account is true, I sincerely appreciate his effort to educate these students regarding the nature of the word, and it's potential for harm. Those are my thoughts, so let's get to yours:

Is the classroom the appropriate place to teach 6th graders regarding the usage of offensive words, regardless of good intentions? For example, if you were a parent of a sixth grader in Brown's classroom, how would you feel about this particular lesson?

Do you believe Brown's lawsuit has merit? Why or why not?

Whose account of the situation, Brown's or Mason's, sounds more plausible?

Any other thoughts or discussion regarding this thread are welcome.

 

[Harthan]

There's two issues here, to me - the theory of whether we can discuss the word '******' - and I refuse to censor it, if we're going to have an intelligent conversation about it - with middle schoolers, or, more accurately, whether we should. The second is what exactly happened here.

To the first issue, I say yes. America has a problem with hiding from things it finds offensive or distasteful, but any psychology (or European) can tell you this is a horrible way to go about things. We have a national complex surrounding the word '******', and with just cause, but by continuing to refuse to discuss it, we only advance and deepen the complex. Why do black people say it? Why can't white people? These aren't banal questions - they have interesting sociological implications that I think are very interesting for a class to discuss, and I think it's an appropriate question for a group of sixth graders to attempt to tackle. I don't expect them to understand the situation entirely, but challenging them to deal with an intriguing and controversial sociological problem is a great exercise. Shielding them from the controversy, pretending it and the word do not exist, just creates a complex for everyone involved, and robs them of an intellectually stimulating experience.

To the second question, this, to me, is where the real controversy lies. If the teacher was doing what I described, then he is completely justified. If, however, he was engaging in a rant, or worse, using the word negatively toward students, he's completely in the wrong. The problem is that this is completely a "he said/ she said" problem, with little more than the word of the opposing side to go on. I suspect that, given American temperament, the teacher will come out on the losing end of this, no matter what the facts.

 

[Rayne]

Ugh. Too much "he said/she said" for me to form an objective opinion on the incident itself.

I'm strongly on Brown's side, however, on the matter of his ideals. When you make a word "bad", you're encouraging its use, especially amongst twelve-year olds. I can think of no better way to ruin a school age kids' joyful use of the word "******" than to sit them down for a fifty minute lecture on its etymology. In Rayne's World, I could think of no better place for a discussion on the word "******" than a sixth-grade classroom. A couple of years later, and you're at the age where kids are using it in casual conversation as if it were acceptable. Get 'em while they're young and curious; don't wait until they're young and jaded.

As far as the merits of his case go? Not a chance. He deviated from the lesson plan approved by his employer. That's usually called insubordination. The ONLY reason this case is in court is because his employer happens to be the government. Does a classroom lecture rise to the level of protected speech? (That's one for the Supreme Court to decide on. My personal beliefs, no.)

I agree with Brown's thoughts, but he chose the wrong place to express them. When you work for someone, you're performing a service for them. If you cannot perform the service in the way your employer wishes, they have no use for you. He was using school time- time he was getting paid for- to teach something his employer didn't want taught.