Teacher who alleged racism at Phoenix school feels vindicated over N-word T-shirts photo: 'These students should be expelled'

A former teacher at a Phoenix high school says she feels vindicated by a photo showing students posing in shirts that spell out a racial slur — stating that the viral image reflects the hostility she faced while teaching there.

"When I saw it I screamed in my house, 'Thank you Jesus!'" Cicely Cobb told ABC affiliate KNXV-TV.

Cobb taught English at Desert Vista High School for three years.

She filed a federal lawsuit against Tempe Union High School District in 2014, claiming that students at the school were openly racist, and that school officials ignored her complaints.

"I had been portrayed in this community as the crazy, angry black woman who claimed that there were racial issues at Desert Vista High School, but apparently there were not," she told ABC affiliate KNXV-TV.

The viral image shows six students dressed in black T-shirts emblazoned with gold letters, grinning as they arranged to spell the N-word.

The students had been wearing the shirts to spell out “best*you’ve*ever*seen*class*of*2016,” but six students reassembled to spell the slur.

The students were suspended — but Cobb wonders if the punishment is strong enough.

"These students should be expelled. Do I think they will? Look at (the school's) history with me," she told KNXV-TV.

A Change.org petition also called for the girls' expulsion — as well as the firing of Principal Christine Barela — and gained more than 45,000 signatures by Wednesday morning.

"Arizona has been stricken with another blatant expression of racism and ignorance," the petition states.

A diversity workshop was held for some students, and Barela also addressed the school. A parent meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.

Cobb believes the school's response — including a campaign called "Spread the word to end the N-word" — was inadequate and reflected the school community's mishandling of racial issues.

"It seems quite elementary, considering how horrific of an event transpired at their school. It makes Ahwatukee look like a joke," Cobb told KNXV-TV.

One of the girls seen in the picture, Rachel Steigerwald, attended a rally with civil rights groups outside the school Monday, where she apologized for her actions but said that she isn't racist.

"I have come here to say that I am incredibly, incredibly sorry," she said.

The school's student body is 66% white, 13% Hispanic and 7% black, according to U.S. News & World Report's Best High Schools 2015.
Former teacher feels vindicated over N-word T-shirts photo