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Oh St Johns College, this really isn’t a very good look.

The prestigious Jozi school, located in Houghton, is currently caught up in the midst of what Huff Post SA calls a “Race Crisis”. That’s because a teacher found guilty of misconduct, Keith Arlow, is still being allowed to teach at the school, a decision that has many parents up in arms.

If you’re thinking it’s all ‘storm in a teacup’ stuff, consider some of what Arlow was alleged to have said:

• Told a black learner who received high marks in a test, “You disappointed the blacks by getting a good mark”;
• Told black learners in his class that the only reason they were getting good marks is because they sat next to white learners;
• Told a black scholarship learner who got a good mark, “Well done, you’ve started thinking like a white boy”;
• Called Indian learners “Nawab”, a term used to describe native governors during the Mogul Empire. It is used as a term for Muslim nobles or a person of high status. Not all Indians at the school are Muslim;
• Admitted publicly to disliking learners in the sixth form because there are too many foreigners in that grade and called foreign nationals “aliens”;
• Told a learner he was “dirty” because he is Greek;
• Told Indian learners in his class they were all going to be Golf GTIs because they are Indian, and then laughed; and
• Claimed the geography teachers at a dinner were bus drivers because they were black and so should not be served.

Call me a snowflake, but that’s not the kind of chap I would want teaching my children.

Headmaster Paul Edey has stated that Arlow has been found guilty of “serious misconduct”, leading to being “issued with a final written warning”.

He has also been stripped of senior positions and had his pay reduced, but he remains a teacher at St Johns.

That was a popular decision amongst his fellow teachers, who apparently felt that the investigation into Arlow’s actions was a case of victimisation.

More on the ramifications of the investigation:

Edey told the school community that the investigation’s outcome “includes requirements for restoration and apology. The staff member has apologised unreservedly to the boys who gave evidence and the parents and guardians concerned. He has also committed himself to being part of the process of restitution and reconciliation.” The school will embark on a comprehensive journey of reconciliation and be opening up conversations where the voices of students and staff may be heard,” he added.

For three black parents who spoke to HuffPost SA, that’s clearly not enough:

“I feel so very helpless,” said one parent, adding that she feels the school has closed ranks around Arlow. If her son were not a senior, she would have removed him from the school in protest. “Everyone pretends the school’s perfect, but it’s not,” said another parent, who alleged that racism is rife at the school. A third parent was angry that efforts to get Edey, Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi and Anglican Right Reverend Dr Steve Moreo to properly investigate had failed.

…the parents HuffPost SA spoke to want more. Their demands include that the Gauteng government establish an independent body to investigate racial discrimination at the school; establish an independent investigation into the racist campaign; establish a safe forum where learners can raise issues of concern; and ensure the school develops adequate policies with regards to disciplinary proceedings relating to racism, hate speech and discrimination.

I’m confused as to how a teacher can manage to rattle off an alleged eight separate insults (the bullet points from earlier), that are all clearly discriminatory and / or defamatory, without being hauled over the coals earlier.

People love to talk about how we’re all too sensitive nowadays, the world’s gone PC mad, everyone’s a delicate petal looking to take offence and so on, but can you really excuse such a lengthy list of alleged indiscretions with a final written warning?

[source:huffpostsa]