A Vermont school principal is being fired for expressing her opinion on facebook about the Black Lives Matter protests sweeping the country:
VALLEY NEWS – School officials moved to fire Windsor School Principal Tiffany Riley on Friday after she wrote a social media post seen as critical of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The post, written Wednesday on Riley’s personal Facebook page, said she believes “black lives matter” but “I DO NOT agree with coercive measures taken to get this point across; some of which are falsified in an attempt to prove a point.”
Riley, who became principal of the K-12 school in 2015, wrote that “people should not be made to feel they have to choose black race over human race.”
“While I understand the urgency to feel compelled to advocate for black lives, what about our fellow law enforcement?” Riley added, before saying, “just because I don’t walk around with a BLM sign should not mean I’m a racist.”
Below is her full statement from her Facebook post:
“I firmly believe that Black Lives Matter, but I DO NOT agree with the coercive measures taken to get this point across; some of which are falsified in an attempt to prove a point. While I want to get behind BLM, I do not think people should be made to feel they have to choose black race over human race. While I understand the urgency to feel compelled to advocate for black lives, what about our fellow law enforcement? What about all others who advocate for and demand equity for all? Just because I don’t walk around with a BLM sign should not mean I am a racist [sic]”
I don’t see what’s so outrageous about her comments. She’s clearly trying to defend why she isn’t out protesting with BLM groups and suggesting that she doesn’t agree with the heavy focus on ‘Black Lives Matter’ in lieu of other groups.
But for her honest opinion about this she’s being fired. Not reprimanded. Not given a chance to apologize and keep her job. Fired.
The comments, which were shared widely among Windsor community members this week, led to calls for Riley’s resignation, while a group of recent graduates called the message “insanely tone-deaf.”
Outrage culminated in an emergency meeting of the Mount Ascutney School Board on Friday afternoon, where members voted unanimously to place Riley on paid administrative leave, according to Superintendent David Baker.
Baker said the school district will work in the coming weeks to craft a “mutually agreed upon severance package” with Riley.
“They don’t see any way that she’s going to go forward as the principal of that building given those comments and that statement,” he said during a phone interview Friday afternoon. “It’s clear that the community has lost faith in her ability to lead.”
If she’d posting something obviously offensive or racist, I could better understand the school firing her. But this is just ridiculous.
I bet if she’d called for the defunding of her local police department, she wouldn’t be fired. In fact she’d probably have been applauded at the very least, or given a raise or promotion.