A video that recently surfaced online shows a Forsyth County high school principal using the “N” word while talking to a student.

School officials have confirmed that the student recorded the conversation with East Forsyth High School Principal Jeff Cheney on Sept. 9.

The video does not show Cheney, but the school acknowledged that the recording does feature Cheney’s voice.

In the video, Cheney appears to be trying to explain racially offensive words to the student.

In a statement released to WSB, officials said Cheney and two staff members met with a white student about the student’s continued use of offensive language.

“The goal of the meeting was for the student to understand that we must all be sensitive and respectful to others,” officials said.

Unbeknownst to Cheney, the student recorded the meeting and then shared a portion of it with others.

According to the statement:

“In the 0.38 second recording Mr. Cheney says, ‘Cracker is slang for white and it’s the antonym to (full ‘N’ word), which is a very offensive comment.’ He immediately recognized his mistakes in comparing the two words and using the full ‘N’ word. Mr. Cheney contacted the district office and met with the parents of the student to disclose this information, apologize, and commit to rectifying these mistakes in the future. He is not at school today.”

School officials said that the district believes “at no time and in no context should any variation of the ‘N’ word be used.”

Officials said they believe everyone can learn from the incident.

It’s unclear if Cheney faces any sort of disciplinary action. The student’s identity has not been released.

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