DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa school district criticized for discriminating against minorities is investigating reports that a teacher wore blackface at a public Halloween party.
The Quad-City Times reports that Walcott Elementary teacher Megan Luloff wore makeup to appear to be African-American at the party Friday night at the Walcott American Legion.
According to the article, Luloff was with a group of friends portraying characters from the movie, “Napoleon Dynamite.” She dressed as Lafawnduh, a character who is black.
Luloff hasn’t returned messages left Thursday by The Associated Press.
Davenport School District Superintendent Art Tate says “blackface is never appropriate in any circumstance by any person.”
The district is under state supervision because a disproportionate number of minority students have been identified for special education and subject to disciplinary actions.
Betty C. Andrews with the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP Conference of Branches says the report “is very disconcerting.”