Video footage posted on social media shows a California teacher repeatedly saying the n-word in class as she tries to get a student to repeat the racial slur after her.
The video was posted on Facebook and was filmed at Sequoia Middle School in Fontana.
In it, an unidentified female teacher says the slur and tells the student, "You asked me how to spell it so go ahead and pronounce it." The teacher says the word again.
"Pronounce it after me," she tells the student, repeating the slur two more times.
It's not clear when the video was filmed.
Miki R. Inbody, superintendent of schools for the Fontana Unified School District, called the incident an "unfortunate exchange" between the teacher and student. She said it happened "in connection to its use in a historical literary work."
Students said they were reading a Mark Twain novel when a classmate asked the teacher about the spelling of the n-word, according to KABC of Los Angeles.
"Fontana Unified School District is proud to serve a diverse community and is deeply committed to providing safe, inclusive learning environments where all students can achieve their full potential," Inbody said in a message posted on the district website.
"As a District, we take such incidents very seriously and we are committed to ensuring that our learning environment is inclusive and welcoming for all students," she continued. "We understand that such incidents can be hurtful and upsetting, especially for students who come from diverse backgrounds. We want to assure you that we do not tolerate any form of discrimination or prejudice in our school, and we are taking steps to address this issue and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future."
The district did not identify the teacher and has not said whether she has been disciplined. Officials with the district and school could not immediately be reached for comment on Saturday.
Inbody said that training and support will continue to be provided for teachers, administrators and staff "to ensure that they understand the importance of creating an inclusive and respectful learning environment."
"We will also work with our students to provide opportunities for open and honest dialogue about the impact of language and behavior on others," the message read.
