Unnamed teacher's picture/Photo Courtesy of WFAA
In yet another example of white people not being able to read the room, a Greensville, Texas teacher is facing suspension and scandal after sharing a photo with her foot on a young Black student’s neck. Sharing it with the 10-year-old child’s mother “as a joke,” the unnamed elementary school teacher is also currently under investigation by her school district for the tasteless picture, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The staged photo was sent in a text message by the teacher to the Black student’s mother as a joke. According to WFAA, the white teacher had allegedly told the mother that she’d put her foot on the child’s neck if he didn’t return an assignment.
The student’s mother, who didn’t want to be named, also allegedly believed that the teacher didn’t have any bad intentions in sending the photo. His father saw the situation differently, telling WFAA, “I don’t really understand the whole situation, but all I know is it was never supposed to happen.”
Shortly after sharing the picture with the Black student’s mother, the photo ended up on social media, where the white teacher began to face backlash. After learning about the humorless photo, Greenville Independent School District placed her on administrative leave and began an investigation on the teacher’s behavior.
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Superintendent Demetrus Liggins told WFAA about the staged photo, “My initial reaction was disgust. That is not who we are. That picture does not define our teachers, it does not define the way we treat our students and what the expectation is throughout our district.”
But amidst the recent Derek Chauvin conviction and unrest following countless police killings, many aren’t satisfied with a simple suspension and want her fired. The school district says that after the investigation is complete the superintendent will decide the next course of action.