“Racism and discrimination are not tolerated in our school district.”
Image via Forsyth County Schools.
An elementary school teacher in Georgia was fired after it was revealed she had posted several racist comments to Facebook attacking first lady Michelle Obama.
“Effective Monday, Oct. 3, 2016, Jane Wood Allen has been relieved from duty and is no longer an employee of Forsyth County Schools,” district spokesperson Jennifer Caracciolo said in a statement. “Racism and discrimination are not tolerated in our school district. We are committed to ongoing staff training on the acceptance of all individuals.”
Jane Wood Allen, who has reportedly been with the district since 1989, was fired after making multiple racist comments on articles she shared to her Facebook page.
An article on BET reports that the teacher reportedly referred to Obama as a “gorilla,” though the Facebook account has since been deleted.
Allen’s comments caused an uproar in the community, with parents starting their own Facebook page asking for her to be fired, according to a local Fox affiliate.
Personal social media accounts have become a complicated issue for people in all fields, but teachers seem to be particularly affected if they post content that reflects poorly on their institution or students. The internet is full of guides for teachers on how they can safely use Facebook, even if only for personal use, without jeopardizing their jobs. If there’s an upside to this story, it also shows how the quick response from concerned parents put a stop to the racist activity, and that the school district was quick to affirm its commitment to diversity training and a zero tolerance policy to hateful remarks from its employees.
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