A Florida teacher, identified as David Swinyar, has been suspended after his school district concluded that he used the N-word in class, also telling them not to date African Americans, saying that were not “worth it,” among other violations. According to school officials, these incidents appeared to have happened in separate cases across the months.
What happened?
It was in late October that a student told a school board investigator what Swinyar had discussed with his students.
According to CNN, Swinyar reportedly told the following to students:
“If your boyfriend says bad things to you and/or treats you wrong, that means he’s acting like a n—–.”
“You all should not be dating all these different African-American boys because they are not worth it.”
Reportedly, Swinyar used similar language during a separate incident in August 2017. He was quoted as saying:
“If my daughter was dating someone who used the ‘f’ word, I wouldn’t have any respect for that n—–.”
Allegedly, a student had told a school counselor that if his daughter was in a relationship and “that ‘n’ said the ‘f’ word, I would beat him up.”
Who is David Swinyar?
Swinyar, who says he is white in his personnel file, teaches math at Kernan Middle School in Jacksonville, where over 20% of the students are African American. According to reports, he worked in the school district since 2012.
Swinyar reportedly said he attended an African-American church, and students said he made fun of the preacher’s preaching style. According to the school’s report, it was also found that Swinyar used “inappropriate” terms when talking to his students, such as calling them “dumb” on occasion.
The school has since disciplined Swinyar with a 10-day unpaid suspension for the behaviors found in the investigation. WFOX-WJAX reports Swinyar will also get a letter of reprimand and a mandatory referral to the Employee Assistance Program. Duval County Schools Superintendent Patricia Willis also described what will happen to Swinyar more in-depth:
“Following the employee’s suspension without pay, he will be reassigned to an appropriate district position with no contact with students for the remainder of the year. As an annual contract employee, Mr. Swinyar’s employment contract with the district expires June 30, 2018. In May, recommendations for contract renewals for all annual employees will be considered.”