SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — A South Jordan dad is speaking out, after he says his daughter was suspended for retaliating after hearing some boys at her school using a racial slur.
Kenny Akers, says his 14 year old daughter attends South Jordan Middle School.
"My daughter happened to overhear some of the boys in the school using the N-word," said Akers.
Akers explained the boys changed a later in the word they were saying, before eventually directing an offensive word toward his daughter.
"My young lady decided to take matters into her own hands and slapped him," said Akers.
He said his daughter then reported the incident to the administration. Akers explained his daughter was suspended and had to spend a day at home while the other students involved received an in-school suspension.
"I did not condone any of her physicalness, in regards, to the situation, but, that’s how she was pushed to react in that way," said Akers.
The Jordan School District released this statement on Thursday:
In part, the district says they do not condone or tolerate racist language or behavior. The district added that they take this kind of situation very seriously and an investigation into what happened is ongoing.
Both Akers and parents of other students at the school are happy with how the district has handled it.
"I'm glad they take it seriously, because it can turn in to a lot of problems and for this girl, the rest of her life if she has to deal with it for the rest of her life," said Pam Slade, whose son goes to South Jordan Middle School.
However, Akers points to situations that have happened in the Davis School District and elsewhere as a reason to make some changes going forward.
Read - Davis School District announces plans to address racism
"A situation happened and everyone is rushing to fix the problem, to prevent these things and to make sure our children, brown children of any shade of color are safe in the educational system," said Akers.
Akers did have a follow-up conference with the school after the incident. The district told him they've been considering some training for administrators and even the students. He hopes more proactive moves will keep these kinds of incidents from happening again.