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A Michigan teacher was fired for tweeting that Donald Trump is the president. The school administration told Justin Kucera of Walled Lake School District to either resign or be fired.
Justin Kucera tweeted on July 6: “I’m done being silent. [Donald Trump] is our president. Don’t @ me,” according to The Washington Free Beacon. As a result, the school’s administration told him he could choose between resigning or getting fired.
“I was required to meet with [human resources], the superintendent, and my principal [on July 10],” said Kucera. “They initially took my statement on why I tweeted those tweets and they told me they would have a decision about my future employment in the upcoming days. When they completed the meeting, I was told I had the option to either be fired or resign.”
Kucera, known for being an “apolitical” figure at the school, insists that there was no malicious intent behind his words. “I know a lot of people are just rooting for Trump to fail, and I don’t think that anybody should do that. Agree with him or not, you should want the president to do well. I apologized that [my tweet] brought so much negative attention, but I’m not sorry for what I said.”
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A parent spoke out in favor of Kucera to The Washington Free Beacon on the condition of anonymity.
“Justin coached my son his entire high school career and also was his AP History teacher and student leadership teacher for two years. I know Justin very well. If there’s one thing that I would commend Justin for is, he always tried to stay apolitical. He always tried to stay right down the middle, avoid [political] conversations, and let the students make their own call based on their own life experiences.”
And who to blame? The parent said the online mob is at fault for the teacher’s downfall. As a result of how quickly some people are to pounce on others on social media, you’d think severe arthritis treatment might be in their future.
However, Donald Trump has been facing intense backlash from teachers and teachers’ unions lately. The biggest worry teachers have is the idea of reopening schools as coronavirus cases continue to surge. Without a doubt, they have good reason to be concerned.
Related: Trump Calls Wearing Masks ‘Patriotic’ in Unexpected Turnaround
