Texas teacher tells Hispanic student to “Go back to Mexico”A Texas teacher is fighting to keep her job after allegedly telling a Hispanic student to “go back to Mexico,” according to a Fox 4 News story.
Two-time “Teacher of the Year” Shirley Burns, 63, was handing out Title 1 forms to her 8th grade class at Barnett Junior High School in Arlington, the television station reported. A disruptive student requested a Spanish version of the form, saying, “I’m Mexican. I’m Mexican.”
Burns told the student that he could get a Spanish version in the main office, but the student continued to repeat, “I’m Mexican,” according to the television station.
Bunn responded, “[Then] go back to Mexico,” according to Fox 4.
“It was almost instantaneous. I thought, ‘God, I don’t believe that came out of my mouth,’” she told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It was a very, very hard week, the end of six weeks. It was late in the day. It was a Friday. We were on the third day of the first curriculum assessment and I knew it wasn’t going well. It was just an extremely bad day.”
Bunn has been placed on administrative leave as the Arlington School District is reviewing the case. An examiner has recommended that the school board allow Bunn to return to her job.
The school board could reject the examiner’s recommendation and fire Bunn.
