A city high school teacher has resigned after a video of her confronting a group of noisy and disruptive students by hurling a racial epithet and disparaging their intelligence surfaced on a social networking site.
Georgiana Jackson, who has been working as a special education teacher at the district for almost three years, is seen pounding on a desk and delivering a threat laced with racial epithet and profanity. She uses the n-word and the f-word while loudly addressing a student. She also describes the students in the classroom as “dumb-ass kids.”
“We are aware of the incident and the district conducted an immediate investigation,” said Terry Corallo, spokeswoman for the Paterson Public Schools, when inquired about the viral video showing the exchange between the teacher and the students. She said the teacher resigned from her job on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017.
School board member Emanuel Capers described the video as “disturbing.” He said the teacher should have de-escalated the situation.
Jackson could have called security or the principal instead of verbally abusing the students, said Capers. He said the incident happened on Friday. He suggested the district provide teachers with more training to de-escalate situations like the one captured on video.
“We’re not going to stand for this. I’m sorry our students had to see that,” said Capers. He was particularly upset at the teacher’s use of the n-word, he said. The teacher and the main belligerent student appear to be African-American.
A security guard is seen entering the classroom. She beckons the loud student to go with her at the end of the one-minute video clip.
“He ain’t do nothing,” a student is heard saying in the video.
Jackson’s response suggests the boy involved may have provoked her. However, the short video only shows the incensed teacher attacking the one boy in particular before uttering a broad verbal attack against all of the students.
John McEntee, Jr., president of the Paterson Education Association, the teachers’ union, declined to comment on the video or the teacher’s resignation.
Jackson was hired in Jan. 2015. Her salary as a special education teacher at International High School was $58,000, according to district payroll records.
Jackson’s tirade captured on video can be found below (Note: contains profanity, racial epithet, and threatening language.):
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