Teacher Who Approved Students' KKK Robes for Class Project Won't Be Punished

A Las Vegas, Nev. teacher who allowed two students to dress in Ku Klux Klan uniforms for a school U.S. history assignment will not be punished, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

The unnamed teacher at Las Vegas Academy - a performing arts magnet school - asked students to write a paper, act out a skit or recite a first-person narrative to exhibit their understanding of American history. Two junior students, with the educator's permission, chose to don KKK hoods and robes for their presentation, but thing's quickly got out of hand.

When one of the students wore the uniform outside of the classroom, someone snapped a photograph and posted the image online. The shot went viral almost immediately, spreading across social networks, eliciting numerous parents to write letters of concern to the school. Clark County School District officials have since investigated the incident, with the Las Vegas Academy principal sending parents a letter calling the situation "unfortunate."

"While the presentation was designed to highlight the atrocities committed by the Klan, and there was no intention to harm or offend on the part of the students, it was in poor judgment and inappropriate for students to go to such lengths to convey their message," Principal Scott Walker wrote in his Jan. 11 letter.

Calling the incident a "personnel matter," Amanda Fulkerson, district communications officer, said the teacher wasn't disciplined, but was reminded of district policy to notify the school of "potentially controversial lessons," according to the Sun. The student was counseled after the incident, and administrators are reportedly reviewing the school's "internal procedures."

The teacher received the support of numerous students, teachers and even one school board member at a Thursday meeting, according to the Christian Science Monitor. As individuals stood behind the unnamed educator, they argued the man was just doing his job as a U.S. history instructor.

"This teacher has my support," said Clark County school Trustee Linda Young, the only black and minority school board member.

Young added that she received no complaints from the public, and said she didn't think the teacher had meant to harm anyone.

Clark County School District equity and diversity chief Greta Peay told The Sun that it's imperative for teachers to carefully prepare before and after such potentially controversial lesson plans in order to avoid misunderstandings. Peay said she understood the purpose of such lessons was to allow students to better empathize with victims during the Jim Crow era and the holocaust, but said that she wouldn't personally condone teachers allowing their students to dress up as controversial historical figures.

"I would not do this activity with K-12 students," she said. "That's not to take anything away from this teacher. But teachers need to be careful, and really know the culture and climate of the school and have a good grip on how the school will react."

According to the Sun, the same teacher who let his students dress up in KKK uniforms also approved students dressing up as Adolph Hitler for other assignments.