Fort Smith teacher responds after "offensive" test question sparks controversy

At Northside High School in Fort Smith, the district said a teacher used inappropriate and offensive language in a classroom test.

FORT SMITH, Ark. — Fort Smith Public Schools (FSPS) reportedly put a Northside High School teacher on leave for what it said was an offensive test question. On Friday, the teacher responded to criticism and explained the question was AI generated.

Robert Taylor has taught at Northside High School for 23 years. In Thursday's lesson, he was testing his students on a passage from "Warriors Don't Cry," a book written by Little Rock Nine member Melba Beals.

"I had seen and witnessed Elizabeth Eckford speak on the effects of it and members of the crowd who had taunted her and how with common discussion and common ideology, to get together, to love and forgive and move forward with all of that powerful message. And I thought this was a good opportunity for me to share that with the students," Taylor said.

He said he used a district approved artificial intelligence program to generate 10 questions for the students. 

"I took the material, and I input it into AI gave the state standard that I was trying to address. And the goals the students were to do, which was to find evidence, to prepare a research paper for a complex topic," Taylor said. "The purpose was to get those questions prepared so that I could get this very complicated topic put before the students in a fashion that quickly works."

One question asked students to identify a literary device from a quote in the book. It included a racial slur, spelled out in full.

"[The district] even trained us on how to use this. At no point did they ever say that there will be words that come out that could be deemed inappropriate, but these are the actual words of the text. So I imagine that must be why the AI did that," Taylor said. 

Taylor said he didn't fully go over all the questions before he posted them. 

"I did not have enough time to completely go over all the questions, but I seriously doubt that I would have removed it because of it," Taylor said. "If anything, I would have changed it because using it as one that says, what type of literary device is this? I would have used one that maybe had said, what kind of language is this." 

We asked him if he would've considered censoring the word. 

"I'm not a particular fan of sanitizing history. I'm not a particular fan of people taking words from the history and removing them. I want us to see these words," Taylor said. "I'm not teaching history. I am teaching literature. Literature is all about great conflict. If I remove these words, there is no conflict. You cannot see, you cannot feel the hurt. I get gut punched when I hear those words." 

He said the allegations about him are false. 

"I feel horrified myself and upset that anyone would accuse me of being a racist, accuse me of using that word in class. And point of fact, I've never used that word in class. I've always said 'n word' or just left it out entirely. But to remove it from a text, I was just feeling that's a little bit much," Taylor said. 

Lawyer Joey McCutchen is now representing Taylor. He believes Taylor didn't do anything wrong.

"His history lesson taught us truthful history about what occurred at Central High School regarding the Little Rock Nine, and it's uncensored, and it's important, and it was powerful, and it's something that should help us all as we see truthful history, words that that the actual Little Rock Nine victim spoke," McCutchen said. "This man, to be called a racist is unfair, unjust, and anyone who says that don't know what they're talking about. He's a man who complies with state standards." 

The incident sparked backlash over social media, with someone posting a picture of the test. Audrey Criswell, a Northside alumnus, said it was upsetting to see. 

"It breaks my heart, because Northside is one of the most diversified schools. There are all types of races there, and we shouldn't have to think about that when our kids are at school," Criswell said.

She said she feels this word can cause harm in what's supposed to be an educational environment.

"He should have blocked it out. But what he really should have done was chose another message in the book. It didn't have to be that," Criswell said. "When you say that word and you're of another race, you're going to hurt somebody's feelings." 

Criswell explained the word has a different meaning to her and others due to lived experiences. 

"Every day we went home, we were called those names by adults and children, and sometimes after school we would have to fight," Criswell said. "I feel like this time we're going to fight in a different way, not physically, but together as a city, as different cultures coming together." 

Fort Smith Public Schools released a statement on the incident saying: 

"Fort Smith Public Schools (FSPS) has been informed of an incident in which a teacher used inappropriate and offensive language in a classroom test at Northside High School. The use of such language—whether in speech, writing, or any other form—is completely unacceptable and does not reflect the values of the district.

FSPS is taking immediate action to address the situation. The district is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment for all students and staff. FSPS sincerely apologizes to Northside students, families, and community for this incident and the harm it may have caused.

Appropriate steps are being taken to ensure accountability, and FSPS will continue to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and respect. Fort Smith Public Schools remain dedicated to fostering an environment where every student and staff feels valued and respected."