JACKSON, Tenn. — One middle school principal is under fire for using a racial slur while speaking to students.
Snapshot from video of the incident obtained via social media.
It was the end of a school week and beginning of the day. Friday morning, September 16, the principal of Trenton Rosenwald Middle School was addressing recent behavior in the school.
A video captured on-site shows what appears to be Principal Paul Pillow using a derogatory term as he addressed the school body.
This video was recorded by a student during morning of the meeting.
Director of Trenton Special School District, Tim Haney, released a statement regarding the incident. He says in part:
“He informed me of the nature of his message and of his regret as to how it was delivered. We agreed that some time away from the principals’ chair was in order.”
Paul Pillow / Courtesy: Trenton Rosenwald Middle School
“The whole student body waits in the gym until the bell rings to go to first period,” Haney said. “So that when you’re within five minutes of going to first period, just about everybody is in there, it’s about a full house. And he took those last five minutes to talk to them about what was going on.”
The video was posted on Facebook, with over 100 reactions — many shocked, lost for words, and many saying the use of his language was unacceptable.
“I haven’t received a great deal of feedback over it in the last 72 hours, but the majority of it has been in support of him because of the body of work and that he was trying,” Haney said. “It was a good faith effort to stop the use of some verbiage, and he just did it in an unfortunate way.”
While Pillow takes time away from the principal’s chair, Assistant Principal Jessica Murray will handle day-to-day operations at TRMS.
“What’s next for him is, what my hope and and my intention and my expectation is, is to get past this and get back about the business of achievement like they been so good at, at his time in the principal’s chair,” Haney said.
The following is the full statement released by Tim Haney:
Friday morning , TRMS principal, Paul Pillow, and I met concerning a meeting he had just conducted with the student body. The meeting was held in the gym before the school day started to address behavioral expectations of students during this time.
He informed me of the nature of his message and of his regret as to how it was delivered. We agreed that some time away from the principals’ chair was in order. In his absence, Assistant Principal, Jessica Murray, will handle day to day operations at TRMS.
Mr. Pillow and all of us at TRMS and TSSD, are distressed over this and will work to better handle future situations. We offer no excuses for it and will own any criticism of it.
I would offer this as to Mr. Pillow’s intent- he was attempting to eliminate the use of a couple of derogatory, racially charged terms and, in so doing, made what he and I both consider to be a mistake in his method of delivery in that attempt. For that, we apologize and commit to better communication methods going forward.
But, I would ask everyone to please consider his intent and the context in which he used the terms.
As for what is next, Mr. Pillow and I will speak again soon and decide the way forward. My intent and hope is that he returns to the Principal chair and we continue the excellent academic progress that TRMS has delivered for the 9 years he has been principal here.
In closing, I would like to again extend apologies to all who were offended and/or concerned as to this situation. We sincerely regret that it happened and are addressing it accordingly.
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District responds after video surfaces of Trenton principal using racial slur - WBBJ TV - WBBJ-TV
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