Nashville schools vice chair files complaint against superintendent for use of rap song

Nashville Schools Superintendent Shawn Joseph is under fire from a school board member for his use of a rap song during a principal's meeting, creating a further rift between him and the board's vice chair.

Nashville schools board Vice Chair Jill Speering filed an email complaint Monday morning to the district's federal program and oversight director where she says Joseph's use of a clip from Too $hort's song "Blow The Whistle" was "highly offensive, reprehensible and inexcusable" to play in a public setting.

Joseph, however, said no profanities were played and that he explained the context of why he played the lyrics during the meeting.

Speering asks in her email for Joseph to make a public apology. She says that the video played shows the rapper flanked by the two women who are kissing and biting the rapper's ear.

"Principals explained that many didn't know the rap song but became curious about Dr. Joseph's comments," the complaint from Speering says. "Once they read the profane lyrics and listened to the song, they felt Dr. Joseph's behavior was unbecoming of the director of schools."

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Joseph said he used a short clip from the song as a way to explain how he uses lyrics from songs to get him through difficult periods, like a recent district budget meetings,

"We started off by thanking all the principals and I said to them that 'many of your kids wouldn’t have made without you.'"

Speering says song has sexual connotations, profanity

He said he played Marvin Sapp's "Never Would've Made It" and then a short clip from Too $hort's "Blow the Whistle" that says: "I go on and on, can't understand how I last so long, I must have superpowers."

The head of Nashville teachers union who was in attendance, said Joseph noted the song later contains profanity.

Speering has been at odds with Joseph throughout this year's budget process, including requesting an audit of his spending and opposing Joseph's cut to the district's Reading Recovery program.

In her email, Speering says "Blow the Whistle" has sexual connotations and is filled with profanity. Speering, in her email complaint, said she began researching the lyrics of the song and listened to the rap.

Speering's email says that the use of the song is meant to call herself and Board member Amy Frogge a derogatory word toward women for their opposition to Joseph in recent weeks.

"I could not understand how this misogynistic song could be appropriate in ANY educational environment. What kind of example does this set for principals, teachers and students? More than 3,400 cases of inappropriate sexual behaviors has been documented over a recent 5 year period in Metro Schools. It is imperative that our director does not display sexual impropriety and/or contribute to sexual misconduct of others," Speering says in her email.

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'I think this is being blown out proportion.'

Metro Nashville Education Association President Erick Huth, who was in attendance and is the teacher's union head, said Joseph noted that the rest of the song has profanities and didn't mention the name of the song

"There were no references to school board members, no references to anything sexual and no offensive language was played," Huth said. "I don’t know. It could have offended somebody, but it didn’t offend me ... I think this is being blown out proportion."

Board Chair Anna Shepherd said she also spoke with several principals that weren't offended by the use of the clip.

"I wasn't there, Jill wasn’t there either," Shepherd said. "I spoke with several principals, and they didn’t mention the music. When I asked trusted principals about it, they said he played an inspirational tune and the first verse of a rap song. They didn’t know who the rapper was, but they didn’t take offense to it."

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.