Hoover High teacher put on administrative leave for using racial slur in class

A Hoover High School teacher was placed on paid administrative leave today for using a racial slur in class on Friday, Superintendent Kathy Murphy said tonight.

The teacher, identified by students as food and nutrition teacher Teddi Butcher, had been out of her classroom and, upon returning, found students listening to Tupac Shakur’s hip hop song “Dear Mama,” ninth-grader Toni Silas said.

Butcher, who is white, then reportedly told students to “Turn the n----- music off,” Silas said. Some students didn’t hear her, so she said it again, Silas said.

A Snapchat video records a student telling the teacher they can’t believe she just said that, and Butcher reportedly replied that the student was overreacting.

At least one student reported the incident to the office, Silas said. The teacher apologized to her class for the remark, Murphy said.

But some parents are not satisfied with just an apology. Silas’ mother, Romel Williams, said Butcher should be fired.

“I think they need to set an example with her and let students know they are safe and they don’t have to worry about derogatory comments or being belittled by their teacher with degrading words, and set a precedent for teachers in the school — that this is not acceptable behavior.”

Silas said she doesn’t want Butcher to be fired because she has a family and she’s not sure what should be done.

Murphy said she plans to meet with Hoover High Principal Don Hulin Tuesday morning to discuss the incident further and then meet with the teacher to hear her explanation of what happened.

“Everybody is afforded due process, and due diligence will be done before any decision is made about this teacher,” Murphy said.

The superintendent said it would be premature to offer up potential repercussions related to the incident before she has had a chance to fully vet the situation and extend due process to the teacher.

That said, “we hold our teachers and all of us to a higher standard,” Murphy said. “We certainly expect all of our teachers, faculty and staff to treat children with all due respect, to treat them with dignity. It is most inappropriate and unprofessional to use racial slang or a slur or in any way embarrass or hurt children, and that’s not something that I will stand for. I don’t find it acceptable, and that’s not who our school district is.”

Silas and her sister, Makayla, said some students recorded part of the incident on video and were told by an assistant principal to erase the video. Murphy said she was not aware of any students being told to erase videos but would find out more when she meets with the principal and teacher Tuesday.

Williams said she was satisfied with Murphy's response tonight. "I don't think she's being wrong in her thinking process — wanting to get all the facts before she makes a decision," Williams said. "That's what any reasonable, thinking person does — not jump the gun ... really find out what happened."

However, Williams said she wishes Butcher had been placed on administrative leave Friday and not allowed to return to the classroom today. Silas said some students didn't want to go back in Butcher's classroom.

Efforts to reach Butcher for comment tonight were unsuccessful.