Hoover High teacher who used racial slur resigns (Updated with videos)

The Hoover High School teacher who used a racial slur in her classroom Friday resigned Wednesday, and the Hoover school board accepted her resignation in a special meeting this morning.

Superintendent Kathy Murphy said the resignation was not forced. However, “she made the very best choice for herself and, at the end of the day, I think she made the best decision for all,” Murphy said.

The teacher, Terri Butcher, taught classes such as interior design and food and nutrition, and had been with Hoover City Schools for 11 years, Murphy said.

On Friday, upon entering her classroom and finding students listening to hip hop music, she reportedly told students to “turn that n----- music off.” Students and parents complained, and Butcher apologized, but some parents were not satisfied with just an apology and demanded that Butcher be fired. Butcher was placed on paid administrative leave while Murphy investigated the matter.

Murphy would not say what would have happened had Butcher not resigned.

“This has been a very difficult and trying situation, not just for Hoover High School, but for our entire school district and for our city,” Murphy said. “We are disappointed we had a teacher who has chosen to use a most inappropriate word.”

The superintendent said she apologizes to students and the community for how difficult this must have been.

'We all need to be reminded that words matter.'

“I think we all need to be reminded that words matter — that every word matters, and those words matter whether they’re coming out of the mouths of adults to children, from children to adults, from children to children or adult to adult,” the superintendent said. “The choices of our words make a significant difference. I absolutely under no circumstances will support any inappropriate racial slurs. It’s not something that we’re willing to tolerate. It’s hurtful to children. It’s an embarrassment to us, and it’s something I will not stand for.”

Efforts to reach Butcher for comment have been unsuccessful, but Murphy said Butcher also has expressed significant regret and understands the seriousness of what she said.

A Hoover parent who was listening to Murphy speak to reporters this morning said Butcher should not have been allowed to resign. “She should have been fired. It makes the whole school system look terrible. Y’all already tried to eliminate buses and everything else,” said the parent, who would identify himself only as Mr. Williams. “There should have been no investigation at all. … It should have been grounds for immediate termination.”

Murphy said that, in this country, people are entitled to due process.

“It’s not as simple as saying, ‘You did wrong; you are fired.’ … There are legal implications for getting your cart ahead of the horse,” Murphy said. “It was exceptionally important to me that I be thorough and methodical and that I process the matter well because this is a matter of significant implications.”

Murphy said the teacher made the statement Friday, an investigation was conducted at the school level Monday, she investigated it personally on Tuesday and the teacher resigned on Wednesday. She considers that swift action, she said.

Allegation of cover-up

Williams also said an assistant principal should have been fired for making a student delete a video from the incident on Friday. It looks like a cover-up, he said.

Murphy confirmed an assistant principal did encourage a student to delete the video and said it’s a practice at Hoover High to have people delete videos that could be harmful to students or teachers.

“That kind of thing just kind of takes legs and exacerbates and only makes a situation more difficult,” she said.

However, Murphy also said Wednesday night she would reserve judgment as to whether she supports that practice. She understands arguments for and against that practice and is sure school officials will have discussions about it, she said.

“I’m not the superintendent to seek a cover-up,” she said. “I would hope that I have been exceptionally transparent through this whole process. … There has been no attempt on the part of this school district, certainly not on the part of this superintendent, to sweep something under the rug. I think you all have seen me address all matters, whatever the issue might be.”

Murphy said school officials and students alike will take this negative and unfortunate situation and try to learn from it and make the best of it. She met with members of Hoover High School’s Minority Achievement Council Wednesday and asked some of them to serve on her Superintendent’s Advisory Council so she can hear from them more regularly, she said.

This article was updated at 12:38 p.m. with videos.