Teacher at Kankakee High School fired after being caught on video using racial slur against student

KANKAKEE, Ill. (CBS) — A Kankakee High School teacher has been fired after calling a student a racial slur in class.

An attorney for the teen’s family said video taken this past Thursday shows math teacher John Donovan calling the teen a racial slur as the student left the classroom.

The student was leaving the classroom independently following a “minor conflict” with the teacher, according to Kankakee School District 111.

Donovan was initially placed on paid leave pending an investigation.

Following the investigation, the board voted unanimously Monday to terminate Donovan.

In a Facebook post this past Thursday, District 111 Supt. of Schools Dr. Genevra A. Walters wrote that she was proud of how the students handled the situation given the circumstances.

“After speaking with the students, the ‘laughter’ heard in the video was ‘nervous laughter,'” Walters wrote. “The students in the classroom reported that they were shocked and had never experienced a teacher using that terminology towards a student.”

TONIGHT ON THE CBS 2 NEWS AT 10: CBS 2’s Jermont Terry talks with the teen who was called the slur.