Lincoln Unified teacher under investigation for allegedly using racial slur in class

A Lincoln Unified School District teacher is on paid leave after claims that she used the "N" word to describe a student in her class.

Superintendent Kelly Dextraze said Thursday she won't tolerate racism.

Kelly Nordstrom, a cultural awareness and diversity teacher at Sierra Middle School, was accused by parents of using the derogatory word to describe a Black student in her class.

Parent Liz Manipol-Lee brought the matter to trustees' attention during a Lincoln Unified school board meeting on Wednesday. She said that her daughter, a student in Nordstrom's class, saw the teacher write the racial slur on a seating chart. The slur was above a Black student's photograph, Manipol-Lee said, before adding that her daughter confronted the teacher.

"She said she was taking notes," Manipol-Lee said, on the verge of tears at the podium. "I understand that children were able to see this. My 12-year-old daughter sent me a photo of this ... there is something missing when the teacher of a diversity class feels comfortable to write that."

The teacher hasn't admitted to writing the word and it's unclear if the word is in the teacher's handwriting. In a photo sent to The Record, the photo appears to be edited, with student names and photos being blurred and the slur written with quotation marks around it.

The board was set to vote on an agenda item to authorize Lincoln Unified teachers to teach classes outside of their credential with limited assignment permits in order to meet staffing needs — a common practice by school districts amid a national teacher shortage. California Commission on Teacher Credentialing records show that Nordstrom has a single subject teaching credential and a certificate in bilingual, cross-cultural, language and academic development.

She was set to be authorized to teach the cultural awareness and diversity class at Sierra Middle School — a class that she has taught since August 2022 — for another year. However, the board opted to remove Nordstrom's name from the list of authorized teachers after parents voiced their concerns.

Amy Portello Nelson said her daughter was enrolled in Nordstrom's class and another parent informed her about the incident.

"It was completely inappropriate for her to write out that particular slur directly above the student's picture and leave that chart around for other students to see and photograph," Nelson said. "To add insult to injury, this teacher is their cultural awareness and diversity teacher ... the cultural insensitivity and sense of privilege in this situation is blatant."

Like Stockton, Lincoln Unified is home to a racially and ethnically diverse student population. About 50% of students are Hispanic/Latino, while 19% are White, 13% are Asian/Asian Pacific Islander, and 11% are Black/African American, according to demographic data. The district's minority enrollment is nearly 80%.

The Stockton mother said the Sierra Middle School principal apologized for Nordstrom's actions, but she felt the district "needs to do more to ensure that students are being kept both physically and emotionally safe at school."

Again, it hasn't been proven that the teacher indeed wrote the word.

"We will not stand for their teacher of all people to model insensitive, ignorant behavior and then see nothing changed after," Nelson said.

Trustees did not speak about the incident during discussion, but Dextraze said the district does not condone actions of racism or the use of culturally insensitive language in a statement Thursday.

"The use of racial slurs is not allowed or tolerated in our schools, and we respond with both discipline and education when either students or staff engage in such behavior," Dextraze said.

The superintendent declined to comment on the specifics of the incident, stating that the matter is "related to the disclosure of student disciplinary documents" and the district is prohibited by law to provide additional information.

"We continue to investigate and have already begun to take action to address any known impacts on our students and families. The teacher has not returned to the classroom and the school site will be working to address next steps," Dextraze said.

Site administrators will be meeting with students and families and plans will be implemented to prevent instances such as this from happening in the future, according to Dextraze. She did not indicate what those plans may look like.

"We are grateful to the families who have already reached out to us with their input, recommendations and suggestions as we move forward," she said.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Did a Lincoln Unified teacher use the N word to describe a student?