Long Beach Poly Teacher Placed On Leave Amid Allegation She Used ‘N-Word’

Long Beach Unified School District officials have placed a teacher on paid administrative leave for a second time in recent weeks after multiple students went public with allegations that she used the "N-word" against a black student.

Here's what we know so far:

• Libby Huff, who’s taught for 11 years at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, was first placed on administrative leave on Jan. 13 following a complaint, school district spokesman Chris Eftychiou said in a statement to KPCC/LAist.
• After the district investigated that complaint, Huff returned to school on Feb. 12.
• Then, on Feb. 13, a group of Poly High students published a post on Medium outlining a list of claims against Huff, including the “N-word” allegation.

The students’ post also alleged that Huff, who teaches students enrolled in the school's Pacific Rim Business Academy, had thrown objects at students, physically grabbed them and duct-taped them to desks.
The day after the students’ post went live on Medium, Eftychiou said the district “placed [Huff] on paid administrative leave again pending our investigation into newly received complaints.”

It’s unclear whether the students filed a formal complaint in addition to their online post. Eftychiou’s statement said Long Beach Unified “is not at liberty to provide details of such investigations, but we consider the safety and wellbeing of our students to be our top priority.”

KPCC/LAist will have more on this story.

GO DEEPER:

• Long Beach Post: Poly High teacher placed on leave following allegations of racial slur, inappropriate discipline