Photo: Palm Beach County School District
A Palm Beach County PE teacher gets a 10-day suspension without pay for using the 'N-word' in front of students.
Six of seven school board members voted on the punishment for Wellington Landings Middle School teacher Alexandra Munley, a White woman. Edwin Ferguson was the only 'no' vote.
"I don't think that a 10-day suspension is an adequate and reasonable, essentially sanction, for somebody uttering the 'N-word' during school hours and in front of children. I mean, being a teacher is a privilege and an honor."
Ferguson received applause for that comment from parents and others at Wednesday's school board meeting.
Ferguson voted earlier this year on the same punishment for the now-former principal of Lake Worth Middle School. Michael Williams can be seen and heard on cellphone video calling a woman a "Hispanic b----" and he's accused of using the 'N-word' in the parking lot of the school.
Williams, who is Black like Ferguson, received the 10-days without pay and was ultimately reassigned to an alternative school. Ferguson explained the differences, as he sees it, this way:
"Well basically because he (Williams) said it outside of the perview of children and it was after hours, okay fine a ten day suspension is reasonable. But in this particular case, looking at the video, this person used the word clearly in the presence of students."
Ferguson says the word needs to be 'rooted out' and that he "cannot endorse any adult, employee of the school district using those words during school hours in the presence of students."
Munley will begin serving her suspension on September 8th.