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A white secretary at a Louisiana school has resigned after she was caught texting a racist remark about Martin Luther King Jr. Day to a coach, according to KTVE.
Officials at Ouachita Parish Junior High School in Monroe confirmed Nelwyn Fontana is no longer working there after sending the offensive text on Friday, January 13. According to a video from activist Walter Geno McLaughlin, Fontana allegedly referred to the holiday honoring the civil rights icon as "n****r day" in a leaked screenshot.
The stunned coach replies, "Huh ? Say what? Where that come from?" before Fontana reminds them that their players have the day off on Monday.
“Nelwyn Fontana ... took time on this #MLKDay to let us know how she really feels about honoring Dr. King,” McLaughlin wrote in a Facebook post. “What she didn’t realize is that she accidentally sent her hate filled message to the wrong person.”
Principal Darren Wheeler addressed the incident in a Monday letter to parents, per KTVE:
Unfortunately, on Friday evening, a text message which contained a racial slur from an employee was brought to our attention. That employee is no longer employed by the Ouachita Parish School System. We do not condone any form of racism in our schools and community. Thank you for your time, and enjoy the rest of your day.
Many community members were upset that she was allowed to resign instead of being fired. Others say they weren't surprised the situation happened in the first place, accusing the school of racial discrimination against students current and former.
"Ridiculous! Taxpayers continue to pay her for her blatant and outright disrespect," one person commented under McLaughlin's post. "No way should she have been allowed to resign!"
Another person wrote, "This is how THEY pass down the hate to there kids. This is how alot of THEM feel on the real, we see it daily how they look at us."
The Daily Beast reached out to the Ouachita Parish School Board and Fontana herself for comment, but they didn't immediately return their request.
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