SYRACUSE - Syracuse Elementary teacher Lera Reinholt has the support of the Ku Klux Klan whether she wants it or not.

The Klan rallied in Syracuse this afternoon in support of Reinholt, a fourth-grade teacher who has come under fire this week for a worksheet distributed in her classroom. The paper asked students to fill in information about the workings of the Klan, and also contained a word search with some offensive racial terms.

The Klansmen arrived at 12:15 p.m. to a crowd of about 200 people. One Klansman rolled down his car window and directed a string of invectives at media behind a fence.

"It's all about white power. F*** the niggers! This is my land. Send the niggers back to Africa!"

Sixteen Klansmen got out of their vehicles and 12 put on robes and hoods. Another put a bandana over his eyes to hide his identity.

The Grand Dragon of Indiana, who refused to give his name, said "We will definitely be back. If she's fired we'll protest, rally, march - whatever it takes.

"She should be able to keep her job."

The Rev. Jeff Berry, the National Imperial Wizard, said, "If they can teach about MLK, the Holocaust, Malcolm X, the Civil War and slavery, they should be able to teach about the Klan. It's not about blalck and white. The Klan is part of American history. Leave the teachers do their job."

The group carried several signs: "Let the teacher do her job." "Teach all history, not just chosen history." "Teachers are paid to teach, not to lie." They also carried Klan and American flags.

No one in the crowd appeared to be supporting the Klansmen.

"Why don't you go march in Chicago? asked a black man. "You come to my hood, and we'll take yours."

"Burn in hell!"

"Why don't you take off your masks?"

Police had to restrain one woman who, visibly shaken, confronted Klansmen face to face. "If you're so proud of what you're doing, why don't you take those hoods off?" she screamed. One KKK member, in response to the jeering, raised his hand in "Heil, Hitler" fashion and responded "I'll remember your face, b****!"

Several teens, including students from Wawasee and Warsaw high schools, also gathered to show their anger with the Klan activities. "KKK, you will never win!" said one poster. " Stop the hate. God will win" read another."

Television stations from Fort Wayne, South Bend and Indianapolis, as well as the local media, were also at the scene. Police forced the media to observe the activities from behind a fence. The street leading to the school was closed to traffic at 11 a.m., and police lines kept the public from getting too close.

Thirty to 40 officers from Syracuse and Warsaw police departments, Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department and Indiana State Police helped keep order at the site.

Peggy Koschnick, who lives across the street from the school, could not believe what was happening in her own neighborhood. "I grew up in Indianapolis and we came here 10 years ago. You just don't expect this to happen here," she said.

I can't believe the media attention this has gotten," she continued. "The worksheet wasn't right, but I think the teacher had good intentions.

"I'm rather shocked, to tell the truth."

The worksheet on the Klan is just one option for students in Reinholt's class learning about prejudice and discrimination; other learning centers in the class presented information on Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall.

Reinholt issued a statement Thursday disavowing any support of the Klan with the worksheet: "It is unfortunate that this gross misinterpretation has taken place. I do not support nor have ever supported the KKK or any racist group. My intention in teaching about the KKK was to make my students aware of its existence in Indiana and the devastating effect that it can have on society.

"I regret the impact this situation has had on the community and the educational process. I do not want the presence nor the support of the Ku Klux Klan."

Superintendent Mark Stock sent a statement home Thursday with all students in the Wawasee school system. He explains how the worksheet came to light and the steps administrators have taken to deal with it.

The worksheet has been destroyed and the corresponding materials will never be used again, he said.

Stock said the context of the worksheet does have a place in Indiana history books, but "what makes it difficult is that the context of the worksheet taken outside of the classroom is very offensive.

"I'm not going to defend the worksheet; it is indefensible and inappropriate," he said.

Stock said he has met with the teacher twice and is trying to "determine the total context" of the situation before taking action. [[In-content Ad]]