"All the years of dedication and one 10-second snip-it of a video is what is remembered."
CANTON – A McKinley High teacher who appeared in a video asking her students whether she could say a racial slur in a song will not be returning to a Canton City Schools classroom.
Diane Schabitzer, a teacher in the Canton City School District since 2016 who most recently taught English at McKinley, has resigned, effective April 15, as part of a separation agreement with the district.
She also has agreed to not seek any future employment in the district or any other position that may cause her to perform services in connection with the district.
Other Canton City teacher resignations: Canton City Schools teacher won't return to classroom after racist remark allegation
Paul Palomba, president of the Canton Professional Educators' Association, provided the following statement:
“Diane Schabitzer has been diligent, reflectful and highly cooperative throughout the process,” he said. “In light of the allegation, she has opted to consider what is best for all the parties who may have been affected by the alleged incident.”
What does the separation agreement say?
Under the separation agreement – which The Canton Repository obtained through a public records request – the district agreed to halt any ongoing investigations of Schabitzer and to refrain from taking disciplinary action. It still will comply with any reporting obligations it may have to the Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Professional Conduct.
The district has agreed to pay Schabitzer the money she earned through April 15 in a lump sum payment of $14,130. It also will allow Schabitzer to keep her current health insurance through July 31 and subtracted her share of the insurance payment from her lump sum.
The district also agreed to provide a neutral letter of reference to her future employers. The letter confirms her employment with the district and does not reference the circumstances of her resignation.
Schabitzer, who does not admit fault in the agreement, had been on paid administrative leave since February following a video posted to social media by a student.
A 10-second unedited version of the video shows Schabitzer, who is white, standing in front of some students.
She appears to ask, "Am I allowed to say (slur) in a song if I sing it?" Laughter can be heard and the video ends. A shorter, edited version of the video has been more widely circulated on various social media platforms.
The student who posted the video on Feb. 16 does not explain what led up to the teacher asking the question or how students reacted after the video ends. A message sent to the student was not returned.
Schabitzer, who has been a teacher since 2002 with experience in Cleveland Municipal and Warrensville Heights school districts, said Friday that the video doesn't show the events leading up to the interaction or demonstrate the good things she has done for the district.
"I guess you don’t know what it entails to be a Master Teacher in Ohio," she wrote in a message. "I guess you didn’t ask to see my excellent evaluations over the years, or the tireless amount of time I spent, including summers, sacrificing my family life, for my students and for district initiatives.
"All the years of dedication and one 10-second snip-it of a video is what is remembered."
Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert declined to comment.
Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.
On Twitter: @kweirREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton McKinley teacher who said racial slur resigns
