A South Carolina school district has fired a local elementary school teacher after what they determined to be inappropriate social media posts about Hispanic culture.
Florence One School President Dr. Richard O'Malley said: letter Parents said several teachers had been placed on administrative leave after wearing sombreros and “Border Patrol” shirts at the school's “Royal Cantina” event. Worldwide.
“As superintendent, I will not tolerate this type of behavior in my district,” O'Malley said in the letter, referring to a photo posted to the school's Facebook page on Wednesday of two teachers standing in front of a wall wearing “Border Patrol” shirts. (Related article: School apologises, reinstates teacher after raising concerns over picture book depicting same-sex couples)
A South Carolina school faces backlash after posting a photo of a teacher wearing a “Border Patrol” T-shirt. https://t.co/OIUPpkQo12
(Credit: Royal Primary School Facebook) pic.twitter.com/mYQtY9XBrs
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O'Malley said the “inappropriate incident” happened during a professional development day at the school, WMBF reported.
As students returned to class on Thursday, the school apologized, saying the post showed a “callous disregard for the current challenges facing our Hispanic population,” according to WMBF.
“At Royal, we take great pride in our long-standing tradition of accepting and supporting every student who walks through our school doors. Our staff celebrates the diversity of our family and is committed to ensuring that every student at Royal is successful, happy, and recognized for their unique cultures and abilities,” the school added. WMBF report.
Local parents and groups, including the Florence NAACP chapter, expressed concern about the post, according to WMBF.
Jerry Keith, president of the Florence NAACP chapter, said the organization will closely monitor O'Malley's response and continue to advocate for a fair and just resolution of the case, WMBF reported.
According to WMBF, the school removed the post from Facebook and said it hopes to move past the incident and have a good school year.
