The Sacramento City Unified School District is moving forward to fire the middle school teacher who used a racial slur in the classroom. The 7th-grade teacher from Kit Carson International Academy, Katherine Sanders, will be terminated following an investigation that found the situation severe enough for dismissal, according to a lawyer for the district. Some community groups have been calling for her termination since last July when audio recordings surfaced of Sanders using the "N" word to explain the change in negative meaning for the phrase.
The Sacramento City Unified School district sent CBS13 a written statement reading back in 2021 when they first reported the incident:
“Our district condemns racism in any form, which harms our students, families and community. We understand that a recording exists, reportedly of one of our teachers making racist and derogatory statements in the presence of their students. The statements made on the recording are inexcusable and we are deeply sorry that our students heard this language. Upon report of the incident, site administration responded by providing classroom support and addressing student concerns directly. Our district takes these types of concerns very seriously. While we cannot comment further on this incident or related personnel matters, the district is continuing to look into this matter and will take appropriate action.”
Sanders has been suspended without pay since December of 2021 but the district says the move for dismissal has been in the works for some time.