BELLEVILLE, Ill. — A Belleville East High School employee used a racial slur in front of students earlier this month.
Students reported to school administration that the n-word was used in a conversation between a staff member and a group of students.
"I just hope she gets the message, don't use the n-word," Belleville East High School alum and parent Ashlyn Joshway said.
She wants to get her point across after her 9th-grade son came home from Belleville East High School saying a staff member used a racial slur.
"The lady in the cafeteria, she's a white lady and she told them she was the king in the cafeteria with the n-word in it," Johshway said.
The Belleville Township High School District 201 sent a robocall and immediate steps were taken to address the matter.
"She shouldn't have returned back to school the next day. They should have had her suspended as well until further investigation," Joshway said.
During the investigation, students gathered in the center of the school to protest. Joshway said her son was given an in-school suspension for missing class. She decided to keep him home instead.
"My son said that they protest, because first of all, she was a Caucasian, and she wasn't supposed to use the n-word or whatnot and they felt like it was wrong no matter what," Joshway said.
In a follow-up email this week, District 201 clarified that the employee was issued a no-contact directive during the investigation period. As it followed, the employee was told they'd be recommended for termination, and the employee resigned immediately.
"I was proud of my son, first of all for standing up for who you are and protesting against it, and like I told him, they make me feel like Dr. Martin Luther King marched for nothing. All of this stuff, it seems like it's coming back and it shouldn't be coming back," Joshway said.
Joshway said she and her son's father did not receive the robocall.
Only the letter for their son's in-school suspension.
District 201 also wrote in their statement that they're committed to addressing the conduct of the employee and providing support for the harm caused to the students and the faculty.