A high school teacher in California has been placed on leave after a viral video showed her imitating Native American dance while wearing a headdress.
The footage showed the maths teacher at John W. North High School in Riverside Unified School District wearing a fake feather headdress while dancing around the classroom and chanting "SOH-CAH-TOA", which is a mnemonic for remembering a trigonometry principle.
The teacher's name hasn't been revealed.
"Yesterday a Native American student filmed this video in his math class. After several minutes of the teacher 'war hooping & tomahawk chopping', the student began filming because he, 'felt that violence was being committed against him and he had the right to record'," the caption of the viral post says.
"We need to end discrimination and violence against indigenous youth in schools! We're not in the 1960s anymore, she should know better!"
Other social media posts allege that the teacher has repeatedly used this costume and practice in the past, including a photo taken from a school's 2012 yearbook.
"These behaviours are completely unacceptable and an offensive depiction of the vast and expansive Native American cultures and practices. Her actions do not represent the values of our district," the school wrote in a statement.
"We are deeply committed to implementing inclusive practices and policies that honour the rich diversity of our district and the greater region. We are working with our students, families, staff and community to regain your trust."
Earlier in October, California became the first state to require an ethnic studies class to graduate high school. The proposed model curriculum includes Native American studies, specifically "US history through a Native American perspective and how symbols and mascots have been used to create inaccurate and stereotypical portrayals of Native Americans".
