SF School District Reassigns Principal Who Used a Slur While Speaking to Students

A San Francisco Unified School District principal embroiled in controversy by using a racial epithet while speaking to students about the word being used in a fight was reassigned from her post, according to a letter she wrote last week.

Carol Fong, a principal at Ulloa Elementary School in the city’s Outer Sunset for more than 20 years, announced her removal in a letter to parents on Saturday. 

“I want to inform you that Superintendent Vincent Matthews has made the decision to involuntarily [sic] transfer me out of Ulloa for the upcoming school year,” Fong wrote in a June 25 letter tweeted out Monday. “As such, I will not be returning to Ulloa in August to welcome all of you on the first day of school. I am confident that Ulloa will continue to shine and make an impact on the lives of those stepping foot into its doors.”

The removal was called for after Fong reportedly repeated the N-word with fifth-grade students after the slur was used in a fight between two students, the San Francisco Chronicle reported she acknowledged in May. A parent complained after she used the word in full while attempting to teach the students that racial slurs were unacceptable.

In May, SFUSD spokesperson Laura Dudnick addressed the incident with a prepared statement. 

“There are times when harm is caused in a school community and relationships must be repaired,” she wrote. “When that happens, we implement restorative practices in order to engage in healing, learning and growing. These activities can include restorative circles, family meetings, classroom discussions, and more.”