photo courtesy of Fox 35 Orlando
A Florida High School teacher has been fired from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando after asking his 11th and 12th grade students to write their own obituaries before an active shooter drill on site. On April 4, Jeffery Keene was let go only hours after handing out the assignment.
The psychology teacher spoke to NBC News about his termination and said that he stands by his assignment as being appropriate for the students. He explained that after learning there would be an active shooter drill the next Monday, he believed that asking students to write their own obituaries would help them appreciate and reflect on their life.
Keene, 63, told the class, “‘This isn’t a way to upset you or anything like that,'” He explained to the outlet, “It wasn’t to scare them or make them feel like they were going to die, but just to help them understand what’s important in their lives and how they want to move forward with their lives and how they want to pursue things in their journey.”
He gave the students the assignment during the first period, and by the second period, he was under investigation by school officials for the controversial assignment. Within the next few hours, Keene was fired from his position.
The district spokesperson over Dr. Phillips High School stated,”Dr. Phillips High School families were informed that a teacher gave an inappropriate assignment about school violence. Administration immediately investigated and the probationary employee has been terminated.”
Keene disagreed wholly with the school’s decisions and opinion about the assignment he created. He reasoned,”If you can’t talk real to them, then what’s happening in this environment? In my mind, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I don’t think I did anything incorrectly. I know hindsight is 20/20 but I honestly didn’t think a 16-, 17-, 18-year-old would be offended or upset by talking about something we’re already talking about.”
He’s reportedly searching for another teaching job.