Southern Middle teacher suspended after allowing student to wear KKK costume
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May 15—With the teacher's approval, a student at Southern Middle School donned white sheets to complete an assignment requiring students to dress as a historical figure and give a three-minute presentation on the figure.
According to a WKYT report, the student wanted to dress as Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate General and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan — a hate group infamous for their many murders of Black people and their political activism against desegregation and for the limiting of Black rights.
The student put his costume on during his Friday bus ride to school, where a fellow student recorded the student and posted the video on TikTok.
The teacher that allowed the student to dress as Forrest was suspended indefinitely and is under investigation by school officials.
Superintendent of Pulaski School District Pat Richardson condemned the student's behavior saying in a statement, "I am extremely disappointed and embarrassed by this incident."
Richardson said administration was not made aware of the situation until Monday morning, but said that this incident does not represent the staff and student body of the school district, and he plans to report the incident to the Educational Professional Standards Board.
"I am deeply apologetic of this situation, and I am taking immediate steps to address this matter," continued Richardson's statement.
In an interview with the Commonwealth Journal, Richardson said he had not seen the TikTok video yet.
