DeKalb County teacher being investigated after TikTok trend video goes too far, school district says

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Parents said an elementary school teacher took a TikTok trend too far when he appeared to use the ‘N’ word in the video.

The video trend was created to poke fun at stereotypes based on a person’s identity or profession, but the comparison in this one has led to an investigation.

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Several parents from Indian Creek Elementary School reached out to Channel 2′s Larry Spruill about the situation.

In the video, two men, one White and the other Black, are explaining why they are best friends. But the video is getting a lot of backlash after some call it offensive after one of the men appeared to say a bleeped-out expletive.

“‘We’re interracial best friends. When the cops show up, I feel safe with him.’ ‘We’re interracial best friends. When he calls me his *expletive*, I feel so alive’,” the TikTok video showed.

According to the DeKalb County School District’s website, he is a second grade teacher at Indian Creek Elementary.

Parents told Spruill off-camera they were disgusted with the video.

Another part of the video shows the man saying, “We’re interracial best friends, of course, my family owned his family.”

Gerald Griggs with the Georgia NAACP said the video is offensive.

“At no point, should the word, the N-word be used in any form or fashion by anyone. Let alone a teacher of any capacity,” said Griggs. “It’s not a word that should be used period. It’s a word that brings up so many emotions. So many negative connotations. It’s concerning that in the climate that we’re in right now, people feel comfortable using that type of language, there’s no excuse for it. There needs to be a thorough investigation.”

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The DeKalb County School District released the following statement:

“The school administration and District are investigating a social media posting made by an employee of Indian Creek Elementary School that includes offensive statements made by the employee. The District and Indian Creek Elementary School expect all employees to be positive role models for our children and will respond appropriately whenever that expectation is not met.”

Channel 2′s Larry Spruill made several attempts to reach the teacher but did not hear back.

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