The Kings Local School District is strongly committed to cultural competency and creating

an environment that promotes diversity and inclusion. Recently, Kings High School Principal,
Doug Leist denied an African American student of using a song with the “n” word in it at the
school Homecoming Pep Assembly. When the student asked Mr. Leist specifically why the
song was not going to be allowed, Mr. Leist explained to the student that the song used the
word “n#$ga.”

The student’s parent made a complaint about Mr. Leist’s use of the word, stating that it
made the student feel uncomfortable. Upon investigation and interviews with the student,
the student’s parent, and Leist, it was discovered that the use of the derogatory term was
used only when the student specifically asked which word in the song was inappropriate.
Mr. Leist felt it was important to address the student’s feelings and met with the student,
the student’s mother, and Kings’ Superintendent, Tim Ackermann. The conversation helped
all involved understand each other's intentions and feelings towards the use of the
word. All parties left the meeting with a deeper understanding of each others feelings on
this topic.

In this situation, Mr. Leist was trying to prevent an inappropriate song from being heard by
the KHS student body at an all-school assembly. Kings Superintendent, Tim Ackermann said,
“It was not the principal’s intention to be offensive, but nevertheless, the student felt
uncomfortable.”

In January at a staff meeting, Mr. Leist gave a specific example of an issue regarding a
student using the “n” word towards another student which caused disciplinary action for the
student. During that meeting, he expressed to the staff that they all needed to continue to
do everything they could to eliminate the use of this language. A staff member, who was
not present at the meeting, heard that Mr. Leist used the “n” word during the meeting and
filed a complaint with the District. After an investigation, it was deemed that Leist used the
word in context of the incident with the students. Even though Mr. Leist’s intent was to
share the seriousness of this matter, he did not intentionally set out to hurt anyone when he
specifically used the “n” word, however, it did upset this staff member.

Leist, who founded the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force at Kings High School said, “My
goal is to promote inclusivity wherever I go. I understand how hurtful the “n” word is. I
would never want to hurt a student or staff member. Their feelings and thoughts are very
important to me. However, even though the word was used in context, this has been a
learning experience for me as well,” said Leist.

Kings Local Board of Education member, Stacie Belfrom, who is African American said, “I
believe that particular word is one that no one should use. In this case, it was used to clarify
why this song’s lyrics were questionable and couldn’t be used at a pep rally. However, while
the context is important so that we can all better understand the intention, words can still
hurt and some are just non-starters.”

Regardless of context, the District is committed to becoming culturally competent. We will

continue the mission of promoting an environment based on acceptance and
understanding -- one in which every member of our community feels valued and is treated
with dignity and respect. We want all of our students and staff to feel welcome and
valued. As a part of our Strategic Plan, the Kings Local School District is on a journey of
cultural proficiency. As we continue on this journey, we are having crucial conversations
regarding diversity and inclusion.”There is no playbook on how to navigate hard
conversations with others and we will continue to learn from our experiences,” said
Ackermann. “We are very confident that our plans and actions will continue to show our
diligence towards cultivating a culture where diversity and inclusion is the norm. We have
work to do and will not stop our journey towards cultural awareness and competence,” he
said.

Thank you for your continued support of Kings Schools.

Best regards,

Dawn Gould
Community Relations Coordinator