A Michigan high school is receiving backlash after it fired a teacher shortly after he tweeted “Trump is our president.”
Varsity baseball coach and social studies teacher Justin Kucera said that Walled Lake school district gave him the option of being fired or resigning after he had tweeted his support of President Trump and for reopening schools, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
“I was required to meet with [human resources], the superintendent, and my principal [on July 10],’ Kucera told the outlet. “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.”
I’m done being silent. @realDonaldTrump is our president ❌🧢
Don’t @ me
— Coach Kucera (@CoachKWLW) July 7, 2020
Kucera had tweeted support of Trump on July 6, as well as retweeted a message from the president saying “schools must open in the fall.” He said his intent was to unify, not divide.
“I know a lot of people are just rooting for Trump to fail, and I don’t think that anybody should do that,” Kucera told the Free Beacon. “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.”
Multiple sources also told the outlet that Kucera refrained from bringing politics into the classroom.
The school district said it does not comment on personnel issues “as a matter of policy and practice,” according to The Blaze, but said that “these are difficult times in our community and across our country.”
“When issues arise there’s a temptation to view items through the lens of our fractured political discourse. Walled Lake encourages students and staff members to engage each other with mutual respect and civility,” the district told The Blaze. “We believe in the power of education and critical thinking. We believe vigorous community discussion, done with civility and mutual respect, leads to productive and innovative outcomes. In the Walled Lake Schools’ educational setting, we encourage positive discourse and working together to make decisions that benefit our community.”
The Free Beacon also reported that several other teachers have made political remarks both inside and outside the classroom, but still kept their jobs. Paulette Loe, a now-retired Walled Lake Western teacher, encouraged students to read an article from the Atlantic about how to beat Trump. Nicole Estes, who is still employed at Keith Elementary School, called Trump a “sociopath” and a “narcissist” on Facebook in 2016.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected].
Photo “Justin Kucera” by Justin Kucera.
