Elementary School Teacher Under Fire for Using 'N' Word in Video About Interracial Friends

Social media can be a lot of fun, particularly participating in viral trends. We have all learned silly dances, watched funny moments, and seen practical jokes. Social media can be a great thing when it is lighthearted and harmless. But when people take jokes too far, not only can it hurt others, but it can also end up destroying people’s personal lives.

Second-grade teacher Shane Bunde, who is white, got together with TikToker friend Derrick DiCaprio, a Black man who posts as @derrickdicaprio, to create what they thought was a funny video based on the viral TikTok “of course” trend. But some say Bunde took things a bit too far when he playfully used the "N" word to describe their interracial friendship. Now, the DeKalb County School district is investigating the teacher’s questionable content.

DiCaprio and Bunde appeared to be joking around.

The trend in and of itself isn’t particularly harmful. In most cases, people take silly jabs at the nuances of their relationships, and followers laugh.

DiCaprio and Bunde used the video, which has a whopping 12.9 million views, to discuss their interracial best friendship. It starts out with DiCaprio joking that he feels safe when the police come around when he is with Bunde. We then see the white teacher, who says with a laugh, “We’re interracial best friends. When he calls me his bleep, I feel so alive.”

The video continues with inflammatory content.

Although it is clear the men thought they were being funny, the video’s jokes stem from racist stereotypes, including DiCaprio jabbing that his white friend can’t season food and Bunde claiming he taught the Black man to balance his checkbook.

DiCaprio and Bunde continued to laugh in the clip, but when the video began to blow up on social media and catch the attention of Indian Creek Elementary School officials, things stopped being funny.

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TikTokers got the men's humor.

Social media is often hailed for irreverent content, and this video was no exception. Many viewers found humor in the men’s sparring.

One person wrote, “When he said, ‘I feel so alive!’ I fell out!🤣🤣”

Others want more.

Someone wrote, “I want a wacky sitcom about these two.”

“This friendship is so healthy and racist at the same time its amazing,” someone else commented. To which DiCaprio responded, “... as true friendships should be??? 🥰”

Community leaders were not impressed.

Gerald Griggs with the Georgia NNAACP told WSB-TV the video is offensive and condemned the teacher’s participation.

“At no point, should the word, the N-word be used in any form or fashion by anyone. Let alone a teacher of any capacity,” Griggs said. “It’s not a word that should be used period. It’s a word that brings up so many emotions. So many negative connotations.

"It’s concerning that in the climate that we’re in right now, people feel comfortable using that type of language, there’s no excuse for it," he continued. "There needs to be a thorough investigation.”

The video shocked some viewers.

The school district is investigating the incident, which has appalled many parents, per WSB-TV. No one agreed to go on camera with the station, but parents shared their disappointment with the teacher’s comments.

The district shared a statement with WSB-TV that reads:

“The school administration and District are investigating a social media posting made by an employee of Indian Creek Elementary School that includes offensive statements made by the employee. The District and Indian Creek Elementary School expect all employees to be positive role models for our children and will respond appropriately whenever that expectation is not met.”