BOONE COUNTY, Ky. — A Boone County High School teacher has returned to the classroom after a word search containing a racial slur was distributed to students, according to the NAACP of Northern Kentucky.
WATCH: NAACP of Northern Kentucky shares update after meeting with Boone County Schools about word search containing racial slur.
Jerome Bowles, president of the NAACP of Northern Kentucky, and members of the organization's executive team met Thursday night with the district's assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent and Boone County High School Principal Stacey Black.
The meeting focused on what happened, how the district responded and what steps could help prevent a similar incident in the future.
Bowles praised the school district's quick action, but said there is still work to be done.
“I think the school district, in their mind, handled it well, but I agree with the timing aspect of it — communicating that to us,” Bowles said.
The NAACP of Northern Kentucky said school officials described the incident as unintentional. According to the account shared with the group, students noticed the racial slur on the word search and brought it to the teacher's attention. The teacher then self-reported the incident, the NAACP said.
They also say, according to the school district, the teacher was placed on leave while the district investigated and has since returned to the classroom.
WCPO has reached out to the district to confirm details of the meeting and the teacher's return but has not received a response.
NAACP of Northern Kentucky wants students to feel comfortable in class
For Bowles, the teacher's return raises questions about how students are doing and whether they feel comfortable in the classroom.
“We wanna make sure that those students there, when the educator comes back ... do they feel comfortable in the classroom with that educator,” Bowles said.
The organization also emphasized that the incident should be considered in the context of the school's broader environment, not just as an isolated mistake.
Bowles said the district viewed the teacher's self-reporting as important, but he cautioned that the response cannot stop there.
"Boone County Schools thought that was important too for the teacher to self-report," said Bowles. "We're not saying that's the, that's to solve all right there because... we wanna make sure the school culture there is conducive to the success of all the students."
Communication and prevention are priorities
The NAACP of Northern Kentucky also wants clearer communication when incidents like this happen and how to prevent them before they happen.
“What steps can they make to get ahead of these situations? And how could they do a better job in terms of communicating this ...” Bowles said.
According to the NAACP of Northern Kentucky, school officials said the word search came from a website that was not an approved teaching resource.
WCPO previously found the exact puzzle on Word Search Labs. In Google's preview, the first word appeared as “ADVISOR."
The website's developer removed the puzzle after WCPO reached out.
Two students who previously confirmed that the puzzle was distributed in class defended the teacher, saying they did not believe it was intentional.
“When we got shown the word puzzle, we were confused because we were like, they would never print something like that on purpose,” senior Stephanie Lopez said.
Junior Aiyana Pendleton also said she believed the handout was distributed by mistake.
The district had said when the incident first came to light that the teacher was placed on leave during an investigation and that administrators would seek disciplinary action “to the fullest extent.”
Principal Black also said the school would reinforce expectations for respect, responsibility and inclusion, and that counselors would meet with affected students.
Next meeting to focus on student well-being
The school district said there are plans for Superintendent Dr. Jeff Hauswald to meet with the NAACP of Northern Kentucky at a later date. Bowles said the organization wants that conversation to focus on the safety and mental health of the students affected, as well as how the district can improve its response and communication moving forward.
For the NAACP of Northern Kentucky, the discussion is not just about explaining how the word search reached students. It is also about making sure students feel supported and that the district has steps in place to prevent similar incidents.
WCPO will update this story if the district responds to questions about the meeting and the teacher's return to the classroom.
