District investigating racial slur used in virtual learning session

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - The Tucson Unified School District is investigating after a high school teacher used some questionable curriculum during a virtual learning session.

Video of a class held on Zoom, shared by multiple viewers with KOLD News 13, showed a teacher using racial slurs as part of his lesson. The district confirmed the teacher involved works at Rincon High School.

You can hear the teacher ask students “do you think there’s a difference between the word *slur* and the slang word *slur*?"

KOLD News 13 blurred the screen in the video due to the language shared. We are not identifying the teacher at this time.

The lesson seemed to include a survey for students that asked them if certain uses of the racial slur were acceptable.

A spokesperson with the Tucson Unified School District released this statement to KOLD News 13:

“Tucson Unified School District administration did receive a complaint regarding inappropriate language used in a zoom video class by a teacher. The lesson was designed around the class reading “Of Mice and Men”. The District does not approve of offensive language and is investigating. Appropriate corrective action will be taken when the investigation is complete.”

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