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Teacher reinstated after being suspended for showing 'black face' video for history lesson

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
June 2, 2014

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A teacher with 36 years in the classroom and plans to retire has been reinstated after being suspended for teaching a middle school history class about blackface and how it related to Jim Crow segregation laws.

According to the Monroe News, Alan Barron, who was scheduled to retire at the end of the school year , was under investigation after an assistant principal said his teaching methods were inappropriate.

As part of his lesson on racial segregation, Barron showed a video of how white people used blackface as entertainment in the 1800s through the 1930s.

According to the Daily Mail, the assistant principal said the video was inappropriate to show the eighth-graders.

The Daily Mail reported that due to the suspension, Barron was prevented from attending any school district functions, including a dinner to honor retiring teachers.

The Monroe News reports Barron is scheduled to be back in the classroom today after the district reinstated him.

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