California teacher placed on leave after video goes viral of her dancing in Native American headgear
A California teacher has been placed on paid leave after a video of her appearing to mock Native American culture went viral on social media according to ABC 7.
“A recording of one of our teachers has been widely circulated on social media,” the Riverside Unified School District Administration said in a statement last week. “These behaviors are completely unacceptable and an offensive depiction of the vast and expansive Native American cultures and practices. Her actions do not represent the values of our district. The teacher has been placed on leave while the District conducts an investigation.”
The video shows the teacher, Candice Reed, wearing a headdress made out of what appears to be fake feathers. The district says Reed’s actions don’t represent their values, Twitter users allege the behavior has occurred at the school dating back nearly 10 years. One photo posted on Twitter shows Reed’s chant included in an old yearbook.
John W. North High School shared this from a 2012 yearbook. This teacher Candice Reed has been doing this for awhile now. CLEARLY the school was fully aware of what she’s been doing and fully approved of this mockery. This is 2021 & we will find the truth to your lies. pic.twitter.com/aPfcqQunY4
— Tyonie Tiel (@TyonieT) October 21, 2021
According to ABC 7:
According to the Instagram post, the video was taken by a Native American student who felt “violence was being committed against him” and claims he “had the right to record.”
Assemblyman Jose Medina, a Democrat from Riverside who authored the legislation that helped make California among the first in the nation to list ethnic studies as a graduation requirement for all public high school students, spoke out about the incident on Twitter.
“We fully condemn the actions that took place at John W. North High School earlier this week,” read a statement. “The teacher’s behavior was highly inappropriate and offensive.”
The statement continued saying, “It is damaging and disheartening to see Native American and indigenous culture represented in such a trite and insensitive way. However, this is not an isolated incident, as such teaching practices, even in math classes, have been used across the nation. It is time to stop this behavior.”
The district says they only promote inclusive practices at their schools.
“We are deeply committed to implementing inclusive practices and policies that honor the rich diversity of our district and the greater region,” the district said. “We will be working with our students, families, staff, and community to regain your trust.”
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