Teacher Put on Leave After Allegedly Calling Confederate Flag 'White Trash'
A Georgia high school teacher is in administrative hot water after allegedly sharing a controversial message about the Confederate flag.
The incident took place in Hephzibah High School, part of the Richmond County School System in the Augusta metropolitan area.
Melissa Fuller blew the whistle on the teacher’s alleged actions after her daughter told her what had happened Monday.
The teacher allegedly put a picture of a Confederate flag on a whiteboard with some accompanying text that read, “A sticker you put on the back of your pickup truck to announce that you intend to marry your sister. Think of it like a white trash ‘Save the Date’ card,” WRDW reported.
Hephzibah High teacher placed on leave over Confederate flag message in classroom https://t.co/8R83CUtG9Q
— Augusta Chronicle (@AUG_Chronicle) October 3, 2019
“She found it offensive, so she sent it to me and asked me what I thought,” Fuller told WRDW.
Fuller then shared the image on Facebook to see what other people thought.
“A lot of is that it’s not morally correct. It’s unethical,” Fuller said. “It’s just something you don’t want to discuss today in today’s world and especially inside of a classroom.”
Fuller said the text concerned her more than the picture of the flag.
“Why was that used?” she said. “With it being such a rough area, why would you put that out there to a class discussion that could have turned very ugly?”
Fuller said the school was using a double standard.
Her daughter had complied when she was told to remove a Confederate flag belt buckle she had worn to school, but still received a suspension, she said.
“If she can’t wear that belt buckle, then why is it appropriate to make an assignment out of it?” Fuller said.
The school district issued a terse statement and said the teacher was placed on administrative leave.
“The Richmond County School System is committed to creating a diverse, equitable learning environment for all students,” the statement said.
“The language used in the example was unacceptable and has no place in our classrooms.
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