( CNN ) -- A Texas teacher has been `` suspended without pay pending discharge '' after accusations that she sent racially charged tweets about the incidents in Ferguson , Missouri , a representative for the Duncanville Independent School District said at a press conference . Vinita Hegwood , a high school English teacher at Duncanville High School near Dallas , allegedly sent the tweets from her personal Twitter account Friday . `` Who the ( expletive ) made you dumb ( expletive ) crackers think I give a squat ( expletive ) about your opinions . # Ferguson Kill yourselves , '' read one of the messages . Later that evening another tweet appeared , saying , `` You exhibit nigga behavior , I 'm a call you a nigga . You acting crackerish , I 'm a call you a cracker . '' Hegwood is African-American . Gov . Jay Nixon : Protest violence `` can not be repeated '' It 's not clear exactly to what or whom she was referring , but the protests in Ferguson , Missouri , have often hinged on race , as Michael Brown was a black teen killed by Officer Darren Wilson , a white policeman . A grand jury is expected to decide soon whether Wilson will face charges . Hegwood is in her second year at Duncanville High School , where she maintained a website for her students , www.englishandelephants.com . The Twitter account from which she allegedly made the comments has since been taken down . Hegwood did not immediately respond to CNN 's calls and emails seeking comment . Lari Barager , Duncanville Independent School District spokeswoman , called the messages `` offensive '' and `` reprehensible '' and stressed the tweets do not represent the 240 other teachers at Duncanville High School . The swiftness and severity with which administrators acted demonstrate how seriously they view the incident , Barager said . It 's rare to be suspended without pay , the fullest disciplinary action allowed under district policy , she said . Hegwood began meeting with administrators Monday at 7:15 a.m. By 8:30 a.m. , `` there was a conclusion and this decision had been made , '' Barager said . District employees do have the right to free speech , Barager said , but Hegwood 's comments were so egregious , the school was left with `` no other option . '' The board of trustees for the school district will decide Hegwood 's fate at its next meeting on December 8 . Hegwood 's tweets are the latest example of the percolating tensions and controversy that have spread beyond the Ferguson city limits in the aftermath of the Brown shooting . In September , Ralph Weems , a Marine and Iraq war veteran , was severely beaten in a Mississippi restaurant parking lot . Weems , who is white , allegedly left a Waffle House after he was told it was n't safe there for white people because patrons inside were upset about the Ferguson situation . Weems left and was apparently followed to a Huddle House , where he was attacked . He continues to recover , but struggles with long-term memory loss , according to a GoFundMe page set up to help pay for his medical expenses . In another incident , the Missouri State University newspaper staff printed racially charged language on the cover of its paper following a black equality protest two weeks before the school 's October homecoming game . The quotes , which included the f-word and racial slurs that were hurled at the protesters and `` Go back to Ferguson ! '' were allegedly shouted to protesters by other students . The staff said it wanted to highlight the abuse the protesters received . Also , a mother and daughter were arrested during another October protest at a St. Louis Rams football game after allegedly spitting on and punching fans during a clash . Complete coverage of Ferguson .
One tweet read made reference to `` dumb ( expletive ) crackers '' and said , `` Kill yourselves '' Teacher was `` suspended without pay , '' harshest disciplinary action allowed , district says . Spokeswoman calls tweets `` offensive , '' `` reprehensible '' and misrepresentation of school . Vinita Hegwood a high school English teacher in Duncanville , Texas , for two years .