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Posted: 9:51 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30, 2013

Fire the teacher who told student we don't need another black president 

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Teachers ought to build up students, not tear them down.

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By Maureen Downey

Several of you suggested we discuss the teacher in Ohio suspended without pay for allegedly telling an African-American student, “We don’t need another black president.”

Here’s my view: Fire the teacher. (That appears to be in the works.)

I don’t lightly endorse stripping a teacher of his livelihood, but this guy is in the wrong profession. It's inexcusable that in response to a student expressing a desire to someday be president of the United States, he reportedly says, “We don’t need another black president." (Other students witnessed and confirmed the classroom exchange.)

No parents would want their kids in that classroom. This was overt racism – direct, nasty and repugnant in any setting but horrifying in a classroom. There are no free speech issues at stake here. Under the law, a teacher cannot make discriminatory statements based upon race, creed, religion or national origin. In any workplace, speech can be limited. Freedom of speech doesn’t mean employees are free to make discriminatory or harassing comments.

This teacher would also face censure if a female student announced her dream was to be on the