PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — A Bay District school teacher is the subject of controversy after her social media post went viral.
The post caused a firestorm online and at the school district.
After this Tyndall Academy 5th grade teacher posted a racially insensitive post to her personal Facebook page, the district is taking action.
The district was notified around two weeks ago of a post made by one of their teachers, Nicole Waller, referencing the protests, saying– “I bet they don’t burn down the food stamp office”.
“We jumped on it right away, contacted the employee involved. And we use progressive discipline here in the district,” said Bay District Schools Human Resources Director Shirley Baker.
Baker said she and other district leaders had a very frank conversation with Waller, addressing the issue head-on.
“She responded immediately and took the page down, and has been very cooperative every step of the way,” Baker said.
Baker said the teacher has no prior record of wrongdoings while she’s worked with the school district. The district is disciplining her with a verbal warning.
“It’s called a verbal, and that’s where we just have a meeting with the employee and discuss the concerns are and what the expectations are moving forward,” Baker said.
The teacher will also be required to participate in additional training.
“I am going to require that she complete some diversity training. And she was actually very thankful for that opportunity,” Baker said.
Superintendent of Schools Bill Husfelt sent an email to all teachers before the post was made, advising his staff to be cautious of what they post on social media. You can find the full letter below:
