Pulaski County teacher under investigation after approving controversial historic costume

PULASKI COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - A teacher at Southern Middle School is under investigation after allowing a student to dress up as a controversial figure for a history project.

Students were asked to come to school dressed as a historical figure, and the teacher in question approved one student’s request to dress up as Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

Pulaski County Superintendent Patrick Richardson says he hopes people realize that this does not represent the character of students and staff at Southern Middle School or the district as a whole.

“What is your definition of hero, or of a historical figure?” said Whit Whitaker at the Lexington-Fayette NAACP. “Would he have done the same thing if he wanted to come as Charles Manson or Hitler?”

Superintendent Richardson says the teacher in question is suspended pending results of the investigation and will be reported to the Educational Professional Standards Board.

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