Letter from Seaholm High School Principal Outlines Action Against Tweeting Teacher

BIRMINGHAM, MI — The principal of Seaholm High School sent out an email blast on Nov. 22 outlining action the school has taken against a Tweeting teacher. During the week of Nov. 7, the unidentified Seaholm High School teacher reportedly posted a flurry of highly offensive and derogatory comments on Twitter about his own students and supporters of President-elect Donald Trump. One of the alleged Tweets reads: "(Thinking back to the time) when I was in high school & kids petitioned (administration) to allow shorts in dress code. Update: I’ve seen 6 actual buttcheeks (sic) today..." The Tweets have since been deleted but screenshots were shared online and sparked a debate over how schools balance a teacher's right to free speech with his/her role model responsibility.

Below please find the full email statement from Rachel M. Guinn, principal of Seaholm High School:

Dear Parents,
In keeping with our commitment to communicate with our parents on issues of concern, I wanted to update you on a matter involving a teacher from our high school. Recently, a high school teacher made a number of social media posts that raised concerns and in some cases received media attention. In light of this, I want to share the action taken by the district leadership and the ongoing work being done.

As most of us have observed and experienced, students and adults alike often use social media to voice opinions around multiple issues. In the case involving the high school teacher, when the posts came to the attention of the district leadership, immediate action was taken to place the teacher on an administrative leave of absence pending the outcome of an investigation.

In discussions with the teacher involved, he immediately took down the social media posts. He also expressed significant regret prior to being placed on administrative leave.

The District takes this matter seriously and continues to investigate this situation. Consistent with District policy, we will not discuss the details of the investigation as it occurs. Incidents such as this are difficult for all parties involved and while we are saddened by what has occurred, we also take seriously any communication that does not reflect the values and policies of our district and community. We are committed to creating a positive learning environment for all of our students.

We are also working diligently on master scheduling options which would prevent or minimize disruption in our students’ schedules for the new trimester while this matter is being resolved. The Seaholm administrative team plans on communicating directly with parents of students specifically affected.

Allow me to assure you that we remain committed to teachers and students communicating in a fashion that creates a positive school environment and one that reflects our district policies.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns. As always, we appreciate your partnership in education and your ongoing support.

Sincerely,

Rachel M. Guinn

Photo by Esther Vargas of Flickr