"Darkie" principal pushes students

Chavis in Hot Water

As accusations pile up against firebrand principal, Oakland school district demands an investigation.Chavis has become one of the East Bay's most celebrated educators and a darling among conservatives because of his school's unbelievable test scores. Last year, American Indian middle school scored a perfect ten on the state's Academic Performance Index, and the Bush administration named it one of the top 250 schools in the country.

But some Oakland educators and parents have been quietly concerned for years about Chavis' over-the-top methods. He uses racially charged language and humiliating taunts to motivate his students. He describes minorities as "darkies" and derides underperforming students as "an embarrassment" to their race. "I use 'darkie' every day," he explained last month. "I use it in the context that I'm Indian and I'm black. I'm a darkie."