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A white teacher in Southern California was placed on leave after she was caught on video mocking Native Americans during a math lesson.
The now-viral clip shows the teacher wearing a fake feather headdress made out of what appears to be construction paper, dancing and chanting.
The incident took place at John W. North High School and was reportedly captured on video by a Native American student in the class who "felt that violence was being committed against him."
In the video, the teacher repeatedly yells "SOH-CAH-TOA" a mnemonic device for remembering a trigonometry formulas while "tomahawk chopping" and more. The teacher's name has not currently been released.
"These behaviors are completely unacceptable and an offensive depiction of the vast and expansive Native American cultures and practices," the Riverside Unified School District said in a statement, as reported by The Hill. "Her actions do not represent the values of our district."
Riverside assemblyman Jose Medina authored a bill requiring ethnic studies in the school district as a high school graduation requirement. Medina and other members told USA Today in a statement:
"It is damaging and disheartening to see Native American and Indigenous culture represented in such a trite and insensitive way. This is not an isolated incident, as such teaching practices have been used across the nation. It is time that we stop this behavior."
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