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A California schoolteacher has been banished from his classroom after giving freshman students a biology final filled with racist and offensive questions that called out individual students by name.
Biology instructor Alex Nguyen was placed on administrative leave last month by the Sacramento City Unified School District, according to district spokesman Al Goldberg. Nguyen has taught at Luther Burbank High School for the past decade, Goldberg told The Sacramento Bee, which obtained a copy of the exam from shocked parents.
Nguyen did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment on Friday.
The test covered human reproduction and the effects of dominant amnd recessive genes on offspring. In it, students were provided with examples of situations that could ostensibly occur if various pupils were to reproduce with one another — although Nguyen noted in a bizarre disclaimer that he did not condone young teenagers engaging in sexual activity.
Many of the questions involved students of color; Luther Burbank is 97 percent non-white, according to the Bee.
“In high school, there are individuals who are cross-eyed like [name redacted] and [name redacted], which is a dominant trait,” one question read. “We call those individuals ‘weirdoes’ [sic]. So, if you crossed two weirdoes [sic] that are heterozygous for being cross-eyed, what is the offspring that would result?”
Another question notes Luther Burbank’s highly diverse student body, and says that African-American culture, “[f]or some reason… has influenced most of” them.
“In African-Americans, they have a gene for the pimp walk, which is dominant,” the question goes on. “What is the result if you cross [student’s name redacted]’s homozygous dominant Latina with a homozygous recessive Hmong like [student’s name redacted)?”
A third question on the final read, “Here at the wonderful school of LBHS, we have certain students who love to sleep in class. I even see students fall asleep during exams! Can you believe that?! I don’t like it when students sleep in class… it’s rude! So, WAKE THE #$%K UP! Well, through much study, I have concluded that the gene for falling asleep is dominant. Not only that some students sleep, they snore in class. This too is a dominant trait. What are the possible offspring if you cross a homozygous sleeping, heterozygous snoring student [student’s name redacted] with a homozygous attentive, non-snoring [student’s name redacted] student?”
The exam had reportedly been taken by students in three separate classes and was being administered to a fourth when the school principal intervened about 10 minutes into the two-hour testing period. When the principal gathered each final from the students’ desks and left the room, Nguyen simply projected the same questions onto a screen and told the kids to carry on as normal.
Nguyen didn’t show up for the last day of school, when the graded exams were returned. Given the unusual nature of the questions, Goldberg said there were “challenges with the grading process,” the Bee reported. One honors student received a zero, giving him a D in the class for the semester, for which he will now be attending summer school.
According to one parent, Nguyen’s behavior has been problematic in the past, as he allegedly failed to accomodate their learning-disabled child until a resource specialist finally stepped in and forced the issue. One student told the Bee that Nguyen had once called a Black pupil “boy,” lashing out at him for not having done his work.
Luther Burbank Principal Jim Peterson reportedly apologized personally to the parents of each student who took the exam.
Felecia Phillips Ollie DD (h.c.) is the inspiring leader and founder of The Equality Network LLC (TEN). With a background in coaching, travel, and a career in news, Felecia brings a unique perspective to promoting diversity and inclusion. Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English/Communications, she is passionate about creating a more inclusive future. From graduating from Mississippi Valley State University to leading initiatives like the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program, Felecia is dedicated to making a positive impact. Join her journey on our blog as she shares insights and leads the charge for equity through The Equality Network.
