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Salem-Keizer sub will no longer teach in district after telling student to 'go back to Mexico'

Officials say a substitute teacher told a fifth-grade student he could "go back to Mexico" if he didn't want to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
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SALEM, Ore. — A substitute teacher will no longer work in Salem-Keizer Schools after telling a student to "go back to Mexico."

The incident occurred at Swegle Elementary School in Salem. 

Lillian Govus with the Salem-Keizer School District confirmed a substitute teacher told a fifth-grade student he could "go back to Mexico" if he didn't want to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Govus said the teacher "will no longer teach" in the district after the incident. 

KGW has obtained the teacher's name but is not publishing it. The state agency that oversees teachers, Teacher Standards and Practices Commission of Oregon, cannot confirm nor deny the teacher is under investigation. 

However, the teacher was only licensed to work in the Salem-Keizer School District.

She will not be able to go to another Oregon school district to substitute teach, unless she obtains another license. 

"We are incredibly proud of [the student]," Govus said. "As a young person, it's not easy to stand up to an adult, especially around something as hurtful as racial bias. [He] did the right thing and told adults he knew he could trust, and from there, we were able to do the right thing for our children. We pride ourselves on being a safe and welcoming school district for all students, and what this substitute teacher did is inexcusable and doesn't align with our values."

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