We Obtained Civil War Images Shown By Teacher Now Suspended By Palm Beach County School District. Is It History Or Racism?
Students Say Teacher Was Teaching, Not Being “Racist.”
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
UPDATE: Teacher Reinstated Following BocaNewsNow.com articles. See our latest reporting here.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2021 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — BocaNewsNow.com has obtained the controversial images allegedly shown by a West Boca Raton Community High School teacher late last week as part of a history lesson. The images were considered offensive by at least one student whose complaint led to the teacher’s removal.
The removal was confirmed by the Palm Beach County School District. Officials, however, tell BocaNewsNow.com that they won’t release other details until an investigation is completed. The removal is considered a suspension at this point. A true termination can take months, or longer, and must be approved by the School Board.
BocaNewsNow.com is not reporting the name of the teacher at this time.
Students and parents contacting BocaNewsNow.com say they are shocked that their teacher was removed. The images were part of a presentation shared as part of the teacher’s Google classroom, and presented “live” in class.
“The context of the lesson was political divide during the Civil War,” said someone familiar with the situation to BocaNewsNow.com. “The photos and context are important.”
“The school district is trying to rewrite history,” said a parent. “This wasn’t racism. This was education. You need to learn the past to understand the present and the future.”
“It’s enough already,” said another parent. “We can’t keep cleaning up history because people are offended. Learn the past. Don’t repeat the past.”
A student contacting BocaNewsNow.com said the teacher was teaching in a “straightforward” way and said “this is difficult to teach.”
“He wasn’t being a racist,” said the student. “He was just teaching.”
Palm Beach County Classroom Teacher Association President Justin Katz said he did not know the specifics of the teacher’s removal and couldn’t comment on the situation.
This is the script of the robocall sent to parents by the West Boca Community High School principal:
“Hello parents and guardians. This is West Boca Community High School Principal Ed Capitano.
I’d like to make you aware of a situation that occurred in your child’s history class last week. Your child’s teacher included a political illustration from the 1800s as part of instruction. That illustration contained a derogatory slur. Although the teacher was sharing an example of past political commentary, any type of racial slur, no matter the context, is not acceptable in the District’s educational setting.
The District is currently gathering more information regarding this matter. As this is an ongoing internal investigation, I am not at liberty to discuss more specific information at this time. However, I will update you when possible, as we work through this issue.
I apologize for this matter and appreciate your patience and understanding as the investigation into this matter continues.
Thank you for your support of West Boca Community High School.”
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