FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth high school teacher heard on video telling students not to be offended by a racial slur in a classmate’s presentation earlier this year is no longer employed with the district, officials confirmed Tuesday.
The teacher, identified in emails obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as Cindy Zepeda, told one of her students in a message shortly after the video was taken that the situation was “taken out of context.”
Zepeda, who was an English teacher at Paschal High School, could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday. She didn’t answer calls or emails seeking comment in the week after the video gained attention online in late April.
While Fort Worth ISD confirmed that the teacher is no longer with the district, a spokesperson would not say whether the teacher resigned or was fired, or when that occurred.
Activists who called for immediate action following the release of the video welcomed the news, but said the teacher no longer working for the district was not enough — calling for further diversity and equity training and for assurances that the teacher would never be allowed to return to the district.
“Trust can only be restored when we get to see the leadership saying there is 0% tolerance for these types of things,” said Estella Williams, the president of the Fort Worth and Tarrant County NAACP. “A slap on the wrist is not enough.”
Williams said she is worried that teachers like Zepeda could be “rotated out” but still be able to return to the profession once the controversy dies down.
“Trust is developed when leaders are serious when they say they will not condone this,” she added.
Shortly after the video went viral, outgoing Fort Worth Superintendent Kent Scribner called for the teacher to be fired in a tweet.
“I am disgusted by the inexcusable behavior that took place in a Paschal High School classroom,” Scribner said in a statement at the time. “There is no place for this kind of language in our society, much less in our schools. I am appalled by the conduct of the adult in the room and saddened by the message that it sends to our students.”
Scribner said he recommended that the teacher no longer be employed by the Fort Worth school district.
Video shows student using racial slur seven times while peers laugh, gasp
The video of the incident, which occurred in April and was shared on social media, shows a student presenting what appears to be a reinterpretation of “Romeo and Juliet,” apparently resetting the play during the days of American slavery.
Throughout the video, which lasts almost three minutes, the student repeatedly uses a racial slur as some of his classmates laugh and others exclaim in surprise.
Halfway through, a teacher interrupts, saying, “We’re not trying to set this in pre-Civil War. ... We’re trying to stay as true to the original text as possible.” The student proceeds with the presentation and continues using racial slurs.
The teacher introduced the presentation by telling the class that “the point is not to be offensive. It’s his interpretation.”
Claudia Garibay, a spokeswoman for the district, wouldn’t give information specific to the teacher. Typically, employees are placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, she said.
Activists, advocates call for harsher action, more training
The Rev. Kyev Tatum with the Ministers of Justice Coalition of Texas said the incident recorded was a symptom of a larger trend of discrimination against Black students in Fort Worth, pointing to a history of low test scores and expectations as evidence.
Less than 10% of Black students in the district perform on grade level in subjects including reading and math.
Williams and Tatum also pointed to the growing calls to remove equity and diversity training from the district as another symptom of a discriminatory push against Black students and community members in Fort Worth.
“It’s not critical race theory, it’s classroom racism in Texas that needs to be studied,” Tatum said. “Because the numbers will show you clearly that disproportionately Black students are treated differently than any other.”
Teacher said video was ‘taken out of context’ in emails
In the hours and days after the video was posted, Zepeda fielded emails of support and concern from students and parents.
“I just want to say that I am literally heartbroken,” a student email obtained by the Star-Telegram says. “Just wanna let you know that you were my favorite teacher and I was looking forward to having you next year.”
Zepeda’s responses were short, offering little context and providing a personal email address because she said she would be leaving the school shortly.
“I’m not sure how much longer I will have access to this FWISD account,” she said in one email. “Things happened and probably everyone has questions, I have questions! But please believe me when I tell you that the video was taken out of context.”
Emails, phone calls and a text message to numbers associated with Zepeda were not returned Tuesday to explain how the video was taken out of context.
But students at the high school interviewed shortly after the incident occurred said it was not a one-off.
“When the school said that this was not representative of Paschal, I think it just shows how much the administration is really blind to what goes on within their own school because this is a very frequent occurrence that if not for this, if not for this video being filmed, would not have gotten this much notoriety,” a student said.
The student also said she thinks this is a teachable moment for school staff to properly address and confront racist language as it occurs.
“I think the school could take this in a very positive direction to encourage growth. Do I think that is going to happen? Probably not,” she said.
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Staff writer Silas Allen contributed to this report, which includes information from the Star-Telegram’s archives.
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