Riverside teachers have announced moves for a Northern high school teacher to dress up as Native American and act out a fake spell while teaching math class.
Those moves include emphasizing North High teachers “the need to address insensitivity and bias immediately” and providing materials for events such as Halloween and Thanksgiving to ensure they are celebrated in an accurate historical context that is respect different cultures, according to a statement from the Riverside Unified School District Board and superintendent Renee Hill.
The district is also “constituting an action team” to develop a plan to expand diversity, equality and inclusion training, the statement said.
As far as the maths teacher is concerned, she remains on leave, according to the statement, which was released on Friday, November 5. The district has not confirmed his identity.
“Fact-finding will take place and after the fact-finding phase, the correct procedure and steps to be taken will be decided,” the statement said. “While the time it takes to process can be frustrating for some, there is no way to shorten the process.”
The incident on October 19 in a Northern Mathematics class came to light when a video shot by a student was posted on social media and quickly went viral. The video shows the teacher wearing a fake Native American hat and dancing around the classroom, moving her arms in a biting motion. In the video, which hit social media and the Internet on Wednesday afternoon, October 20, teachers are seen sharing the word “sohkahtoa” with students, which helps students remember an advanced math concept. A mnemonic device used to
The district is the second largest public school system in Riverside County, with approximately 40,000 students.
Hill had previously condemned the videotaped action of the Northern teacher, calling it “highly humiliating and marginalizing to Native Americans”.
The district said it would immediately address other actions taken by teachers in the future that “do not promote the district’s values of inclusion and respect for all.”
The statement said district leaders met North High School teachers and student government leaders, as well as students who were in the class where the mock chanting took place. The teachers also met with people from local tribes, the district said, and would collaborate with them to “design and offer professional education” on Native American and Indigenous history and culture.
“As previously reported, RUSD is committed to implementing inclusive practices and policies that respect the rich diversity of our district and the larger region,” the statement said.
