A Long Island public school teacher has been “reassigned” after school officials discovered a Facebook post in which she referred to students who wore clothing supporting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as “racist.”
Veronica Welsh, a world languages teacher at Smithtown High School in Long Island, New York, lashed out at students who chose to wear Trump gear on “USA Day” during the school’s spirit week.
A screenshot of a post from Welsh’s Facebook page read: “This week is spirit week at Smithtown HS West. It’s easy to spot which students are racist by the Trump gear they’re sporting for USA Day.”
Trump’s official campaign slogan is “Make America Great Again,” which would make clothing bearing that logo very relevant to a celebration of the United States during school spirit week.
The post was widely circulated among students and school officials, and eventually deleted. According to one student, the post was yet another example of liberal teachers trying to paint conservatives as racists.
“It’s not a good idea because then she influences the students with the same ideas,” said a student who chose not to be named. Parents of the students also shared concerns about a lack of fair debate in the classroom.
“There’s no reason for her to pass judgement on those kids on a social platform,” one parent told a local news station. “I’m not big on social media, but I think that in the classroom they need to show both sides,” added another.
The superintendent of the school called the posting an unfortunate incident, and “highly inappropriate.” According to school officials, Veronica Welsh remains a paid employee of the school, but has been reassigned and will face some type of pending disciplinary action.
