A Georgia middle school teacher is out of a job after sparking a storm of backlash for writing a racial slur on a classroom whiteboard, an incident that has left parents, students, and the community stunned and demanding accountability.
Elizabeth Finch, a teacher in Georgia’s Bibb County School District, submitted her resignation just before the district could officially terminate her. According to a statement from the Bibb County Board of Education, Finch wrote the n-word on a whiteboard in her classroom, kicking off a controversy that quickly exploded on social media and forced the district to act swiftly.
Photos shared online showed the slur written on the board with one letter obscured. If that weren’t shocking enough, a follow-up video captured another teacher confronting Finch about the offensive word — a moment that underscored just how inappropriate and painful her actions were for both students and staff.
Georgia Teacher Stuns Students By Writing Racial Slur on Whiteboard
According to the school’s Superintendent Dan Sims, Finch claimed she was trying to create a “teachable moment” in response to a student’s question about cultural differences. But the district was having none of it.
“While you assert that you did this in an effort to have a teachable moment… your discussion was grossly inappropriate,” Sims wrote in a formal letter to Finch. “It was not a part of your lesson plans and caused offense to your students and the community. Put simply, your action violates everything that this District stands for and will not be tolerated.”
Finch had already planned to leave at the end of the school year, but the district said the “severity” of her actions called for immediate removal. Instead of facing termination, she opted to resign on the spot — but the consequences won’t stop there. Bibb County Schools stated her exit would be listed as a “resignation in lieu of termination” and that the report would be sent to the Professional Standards Commission.
The Macon, Georgia NAACP didn’t hold back in its response either, releasing a statement condemning the incident and demanding change.
“We will protect our children’s education by all means necessary,” the statement read. “In seeing a teacher write such inappropriate language, someone that we trust our children with, is heartbreaking and not acceptable.”
People on Social Media Were Outraged
“What was she trying to accomplish?” one person asked on Reddit.
“She certainly had a lapse in judgment for writing it on the board,” another stated.
“There is absolutely zero reason for a teacher to be writing that word at all. Democrat. I don’t care. No excuse,” a third comment read.
“Is she just psychotic?” a fourth person wrote.
At a time when schools are under a microscope for how they handle sensitive topics like race, Finch’s decision to put a racial slur front and center was tone-deaf at best, and deeply harmful at worst. Educators have the power to shape young minds, and with that comes responsibility. Words matter, especially ones steeped in centuries of pain and oppression.
The incident has sparked conversations across Georgia about how to better train teachers on cultural sensitivity and racial literacy. For now, though, many are just relieved to see the district take action. Finch’s resignation might mark the end of her tenure in the classroom, but the conversation around racial accountability in schools is far from over.
Sofia Bassett 
