A California middle school teacher is placed on paid leave after hanging a confederate flag in the classroom: https://t.co/NPkcEmSP7p pic.twitter.com/2hAO4MmzTy
— The Root (@TheRoot) January 22, 2017
Just what the country needs as Donald Trump is sworn in as our 45th President amid racial tension.
A California middle school teacher is on paid leave after hanging a Confederate flag in his classroom.
This isn’t the first time the Sutter Middle School teacher has come under fire for racially charged behavior. Melissa Mooy, whose daughter is in the class had the following to say:
There are upsetting things that have happened in our past. I would hope that he would teach them in a sensitive manner so that nobody is offended, but I do think that it’s important that they be taught.
It is unclear why the flag was ever hung and what the context of the lesson was.
This is the second time the teacher has been accused of racism in the last three months. According to another Sutter Middle School parent, Tyrie McIntyre, back in November, the teacher gave a racially insensitive example of equality:
One of the kids raised their hand and asked the teacher for an example of equality, for what equality meant. The teacher said, ‘Equality, such as if you were to hang one black person, you would have to hang all black people and that’s equality.’
McIntyre’s son was the only black student in the class at that time. Folsom Cordova Unified School District spokesperson, Daniel Thigpen called the latest incident “a concerning allegation” and stated that the flag is “an inflammatory racist symbol of hate”.
The teacher is on paid leave. He should have been fired after the first incident. There is no excuse for racial sensitivity especially when trusted with the responsibility of educating our youth.