Kimberly Newman, a teacher at Desert Willow Fine Arts, Science and Technology Magnet Academy in the Southern California city of Palmdale, resigned after being caught on Zoom hot mic, making racist remarks against a Black student, his mother, and the Black community for more than half-hour.
On Jan. 20 – Newman was on a Zoom call with the student and the mother, Katura Stokes, to discuss the school’s online learning platform. The call resolved the student’s issues, however, Newman, by accident, stayed on the call.
With her mic on and Zoom chat still open, she went on a racist rant to her husband. All of the comments were recorded by Stokes. In her complaint, she stated that she recorded the call because of how unbelievable the comments were.
The district’s superintendent, Raul Maldonado, declined to comment further to SFGATE.
“She’s answered her phone for the first time the entire year,” the teacher said, according to the video obtained by the Orange County Register. “I mean these parents, that’s what kind of piece of s—t they are.”
“He’s Black. They’re a Black family,” she added. In the call, she also spoke of racist slurs against Stokes and her son.
“I’m seeing what you’re not going through,” a voice on the call says, identified by the Register as Newman’s husband.
“Your son has learned to lie to everybody and make excuses … to be a child,” Newman goes on to say. “Since you’ve taught him to make excuses that nothing is his fault. This is what Black people do.”
According to the Register, Stokes called the principal at Desert Willow to report the comments. Newman received a call and soon after, hung up on the Zoom call.
Newman was put on administrative leave before resigning in light of the rant. Per the Antelope Valley Press, she refused to participate in an investigation.
