Updated: Governor's Office says it's weighing options for teacher who wrote
racial slur about Obama
By Angeline J. Taylor • DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER • October 17, 2008
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Updated 8:31 p.m.
Tallahassee lawyer Benjamin Crump and six of his clients are asking Gov.
Charlie Crist to revoke the teaching certificate of Marianna Middle School
teacher Greg Howard, who wrote a racial epithet on a classroom board about
Sen. Barack Obama.
Howard wrote "C.H.A.N.G.E. — Come Help A (N-Word) Get Elected," a reference
to the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, on a dry-erase board
Sept. 26. Crump's clients are parents of children who were in his class.
Howard was later suspended for 10 days without pay.
Friday morning, Crump said three sets of parents want Crist to step in, and
the governor's press secretary, Sterling Ivey, confirmed that Crist is
exploring options.
"The governor is aware of the suspension the teacher received by the Jackson
County School District," Ivey said. "We're looking at all of our options
here."
Thursday night, the Jackson County School Board voted 3-2 to uphold School
Superintendent Daniel Sims' recommended personnel action against Howard. The
recommendation included the suspension — worth about $2,500 — and a written
reprimand. Howard also is required to write a letter of apology to students,
give up his duties as an assistant football coach and take
diversity-sensitivity training.
Nearly 200 Jackson County residents attended the School Board meeting.
Members of the crowd shouted "Tell the truth!" and "That's a shame!" before
and after the vote.
Crump addressed School Board members before the vote. He told them that,
according to legal precedent, they should terminate Howard's employment. He
said Florida law states that a school district may dismiss a contract
employee at any time for just cause, which includes immorality.
Immorality under Florida law is defined as conduct that is "inconsistent
with the standards of public conscious and good morals; sufficiently
notorious to bring the individual concerned or the education profession into
public disgrace or disrespect and impair the individual's service to the
community."
The law goes on to say that the Education Practices Commission can revoke a
teacher's license for gross immorality. That commission works as an
extension of the Florida Department of Education.
The DOE communications office couldn't confirm or deny that an investigation
is being conducted into Howard.
[image: Advertisement]
Updated 12:45 p.m.
Tallahassee attorney Benjamin Crump has led his clients to ask Gov. Charlie
Crist to revoke Marianna Middle School teacher Greg Howard's teaching
certification.
Howard is the teacher who wrote a racially charged comment on a dry erase
board in his seventh-grade social studies class. Howard altered the commonly
used phrase from presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's campaign from
the word "change" to "C.H.A.N.G.E.—Come Help A (N-Word) Get Elected."
Thursday night, the Jackson County School Board approved School
Superintendent Daniel Sims' recommendation regarding Howard. Sims
recommended Howard receive a 10-day suspension without pay – worth about
$2,500 and a written reprimand. Howard is required to write a letter of
apology to students, give up his coaching duties and any pay associated with
coaching and take diversity sensitivity training. A 3-2 school board vote
upheld Sims' decision despite grumblings from a crowd of nearly 200 Jackson
County residents. Members of the crowd shouted "Tell the truth" and "That's
a shame".
Crump said even though his six clients are asking for Crist to step in – the
Jackson County School District can choose to continue to employ Howard.
"They have that right," Crump said.
Return to Tallahassee.com for more details.
Morning update
MARIANNA — A 3-2 vote by the School Board to uphold Jackson County Schools
Superintendent Daniel Sims' recommendations for disciplining a middle-school
teacher for writing a racial slur in class nearly caused an uprising
Thursday night.
Nothing appeared to divide Jackson County's families and School Board
members more than what type of disciplinary action teacher Greg Howard
should receive.
Howard is the Marianna Middle School teacher who wrote a racially charged
comment on a dry erase board in his seventh-grade social-studies class.
Howard altered the commonly used phrase from presidential candidate Sen.
Barack Obama's campaign from the word "change" to "C.H.A.N.G.E. — Come Help
A (N-word) Get Elected."
Sims recommended Howard receive a 10-day suspension without pay e_SEmD worth
about $2,500 and a written reprimand. Howard is required to write letters of
apology to students, give up his coaching duties and any pay associated with
coaching and take diversity sensitivity training. The vote was taken despite
strong comments from the audience. Howard did not attend.
Nearly 200 people who attended the meeting wanted Howard fired. The
majority-black audience appealed to the five, all-white board members to
fire Howard. Residents packed the small, wood-paneled room that could hold
about 70 people. They stood in the school district office's doorway, hallway
and outside the building. But they wanted to make sure their voices were
heard.
At least four residents contacted Tallahassee attorney Benjamin Crump who
also spoke during the meeting. But his words did not change Sims'
recommendation. Nor did the fact that one school board member asked Sims if
he was sure he wanted to keep that recommendation.
School board member Chris Johnson said, "From what I understand this word
has been used on a regular basis."
Crump, however, said he and his clients will file a complaint as a result of
the actions taken by the board.
"Parents are going to file that (Howard's) certification be revoked," he
said about the four parents that contacted him. "I really believed that (if)
you do a deliberate pre-meditated act as this, you'll be held accountable.
They're not going to send you back to the classroom. We were disappointed
they didn't follow the (legal) precedent out there."
The Rev. Riley Henderson appealed to the board after talking with Sims and
writing Sims a two-page letter. He asked Sims to look into other incidents
that he found out about regarding Howard.
"Consider the history and not just one incident," Henderson, pastor of St.
Luke Missionary Baptist Church, said. "You're talking about sixth- and
seventh-graders who think everything is a joke . . . until it's too late."
Sims responded, "I feel like we conducted a thorough investigation. There is
no such indication there has been a history of this."
Sims said Howard's evaluations were good in the last 15-plus years he's been
in the Jackson County School District. Before that, he said Howard's
evaluations were above satisfactory. Residents were not convinced. Some
mumbled they knew Howard before. Then a teacher who used to work with Howard
stood. He said his daughter was in one of Howard's classes.
Teacher and parent Ron Mitchell said Howard's actions were "repulsive."
Mitchell's daughter watched Howard write the epithet on the board.
"What about the life-long effect on this child's mind? What about the
life-long effect on this community -- $2,500 is nothing," Mitchell said.
Juan Dixon said it differently. He was one of the first students to
integrate one of the area schools.
"I don't see how you can recommend this gentleman can go back to the
classroom," he said. "This is déjà vu all over again."
Dixon explained that as a student in Jackson County schools he would get in
fights for being called the n-word. He said his teacher came to him and
said, "That's OK, we've been calling you that for four years. We don't mean
any harm."
Several residents shouted they wanted Howard's teaching certificate to be
revoked. Sims said that he didn't have the power to revoke Howard's
certification. That was left up to professional practices. However,
residents said they knew that Sims had the right to fire Howard. According
to the school district's attorney, the board couldn't do that Thursday
night.
The attorney said that the school district could either agree with Sims'
recommendation or not agree. If they did not agree, then Howard's situation
would revert to being suspended with pay. But residents didn't feel that was
enough of a dilemma.
--
"Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over
their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change."
- Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
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