Olivia Stephens-Squires: Teacher hurls N-word, homophobic slurs at child's dad in video
In Conecuh County, located in the south-central portion of Alabama, a White teacher resigned on Friday, June 25 after a video surfaced of her using homophobic, racist, and ableist slurs. As per a local ABC News affiliate, Black parents threatened to pull their children out of the Southside Preparatory Magnet Academy after the video went viral.
“Under no circumstances will my child attend a school system where this type of behavior takes place and nothing is being done about it,” a parent, Michael Bowens, told WPMI. “Who’s to say it won’t happen in the classroom?”
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Who is Olivia Stephens-Squires?
In the viral video, the Conecuh County English teacher and volleyball coach, as per news reports, could be seen in a heated argument with her child’s father, something that reportedly took place on school grounds. Stephens-Squires, who reportedly began working with the Southside Preparatory Magnet Academy in August 2017, told her child’s father, “Your wife f**ked (N-word) your whole f**king marriage.”
The video showed her saying “F**k you! F**king (F-word)!” while hitting him with an object. Next, she was heard saying, “You sit like a (F-word).” She even called one of her child’s father’s relatives a slur against mentally disabled people. Stephens-Squires appeared before the Conecuh County Board of Education and a group of upset parents on Friday, June 25. She reportedly resigned five minutes into the specially-called meeting. The board said that she requested resignation before a decision on punishment could be decided.
Stephens-Squires also reportedly posted an apology on Facebook, taking full responsibility for her actions. In the apology, she said she’s praying for forgiveness. Superintendent Tonya Bozeman said she hopes that those the teacher’s words have affected can begin to heal. “It is painful to deal with,” Bozeman said. “No one wants negative news, no one wants anything but positive. We don’t like it said; we will address it and move on.”
As per the Southside Preparatory Magnet Academy website, Conecuh County's vision is that the school will “assist the district in achieving greater racial and ethic balance across its schools, as well as support accelerated growth and improved academic achievement for its students in all subject areas. We will better prepare all of our students for 21st-century careers.”
In 2019, six teachers from Ashford High School in Houston County in southeast Alabama were removed from the job after messages from a group chat they used to gossip about and disparage students leaked. In one of these texts, one of the teachers referred to a student by name and speculated on his sex life, then called him the N-word. The teacher wrote, “[student's name] got 3 girls pregnant?!!?! That [N-word] so slow he can’t walk and chew.”