Duncanville teacher likely to lose job over tweets

[alp227]

DUNCANVILLE — Vinita Hegwood taught her students a lesson, but it probably wasn't the one she expected.

The second year Duncanville High School English teacher was suspended without pay Monday morning after school officials learned that she had posted racially charged tweets on Friday night.

The suspension followed a meeting with the superintendent and other school officials, who said Hegwood confirmed authorship of the tweets.

...

It was a tweet that Hegwood posted Friday night that ultimately led to her suspension and will likely cost her job. It said:

"Who the (expletive) made you (expletive) crackers think I give a squat (expletive) about your opinions. #Ferguson Kill yourselves."

full: http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/education/2014/11/10/duncanville-teacher-likely-to-lose-job-over-tweets/18832369/

[yeoman6987]

1. Wow! Completely speechless!

[kiva]

2. Unfortunately education does not

seem to stop the social media stupid...she should be fired.

[immoderate]

3. Should anybody who posted this be fired?

Or just teachers?

--imm

[kiva]

4. I teach.

And yes, we are expected to to avoid doing stupid things like post racist rants. If this were a white teacher saying she didn't care what n*****s had to say about Ferguson, would you think that was OK and that she should keep her job? I don't.

[immoderate]

5. I teach too. And I acknowledge this was stupid...

I always told my students not to put anything into an email that you wouldn't want broadcast to the world.

Having said that, I know nothing of the context of these remarks. It may have been a direct response to a provocation. And while that doesn't excuse it, I would also consider performance in the classroom as a factor. This is someone's livelihood, and profession, and apparently a newbie. I am uneasy about application of 'zero tolerance' to what resembles a thought crime.

Do you think any other profession should be held to these standards?

--imm

[AnalystInParadise]

6. Yes

Damn near every profession.

The reasons behind her rant are irrelevant, her behavior is reprehensible for someone who is teaching children.

[kiva]

7. I've seen multiple stories of people held to these standards.

People have been fired by private companies for posting and tweeting all sorts of incredibly stupid things:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/15/fired-over-twitter-tweets_n_645884.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-fired-2011-5?op=1

http://abcnews.go.com/International/justine-sacco-fired-tweet-aids-africa-issues-apology/story?id=21301833

Here's the thing - if you cannot control your temper or know you have a habit of saying/writing offensive things, then stay off of social media that is not anonymous when you are pissed. Come to DU to rant, the worst that will happen is that you'll have a post deleted. Write out your post, save it, then look at it again a day or two later. Before you post, ask yourself exactly how you plan to support yourself, your kids, your SO, your pets, if you lose your job because you just had to give your opinion about X.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

9. Best. Advice. Ever. n/t

[immoderate]

11. I agree with you, and generally recommend the same behaviors.

Broadcasting it was condemnably stupid.

--imm

[SickOfTheOnePct]

8. I think any public employee should lose their job for something like this

Other professions, I would leave it to the boss/owner to decide whether or not this would be a "fireable" offense.

It would be if the ranter worked for me.

[immoderate]

12. Should it apply to the boss/owner?

You can consider this rhetorical. It's a silly question.

--imm

[kiva]

15. Personally I like it when they tweet or post stupid stuff,

especially when they try to say that they didn't really mean it....

[Oktober]

17. Out of curiosity... Under which circumstances is it acceptable for a teacher throw out racist slurs.

... and encourage them to kill themselves?

I can't think of any and I'm concerned if you think you can...

[immoderate]

19. Acceptable? Can't think of any.

Nor do I condone. But, as I said, I'm not a "zero-tolerance" type, and I tend toward reserving judgement.

Encouraging people to do something is not robbing them of free will; there are degrees of influence.

--imm

[Oktober]

20. That's my question...

This isn't zero tolerance mumbo jumbo...

How can this person continue teaching? What white parent would even consider letting this racist teach their children? Which administrator could ethically allow it? (Obviously some... but they are as lacking in moral fiber as she is)

This isn't an oopsy doodle, said a swear in front of the kids.... This is a blatant admission of racism and should be, but is not, an absolute disqualification to ever exert any authority or influence over children again.

It's as bad as if a teacher came out as a NAMBLA member. She can't teach... period...

[immoderate]

23. After following up ...

I'll concede that her position looks indefensible. Bad intentions.

--imm

[Oktober]

24. Not trying to push it...

... but what more follow up was needed other than confirmation that she was the one who sent it?

[immoderate]

26. Some context. What preceded this response.

Patterns.

--imm

[Oktober]

27. That's my point...

There are no circumstances that would warrant this response...

None.. Zero...

If she said it... then she is out...

[mercuryblues]

22. we don't

have to wonder what would happen to a white teacher.

The AA teacher used her own phone to post to her own account. This teacher said it to students, on school grounds during school hours.

A North Carolina math teacher has been allowed to keep her job despite allegedly saying she wanted to 'kill all black people.'

Cynthia Ramsey, head of the math department at Camden County High School in North Carolina, allegedly said to a student that if she only had ten days left to live, her bucket list would include 'killing all black people'.

The conversation is alleged to have taken place in her classroom this week, and shortly afterwards she was suspended but then reinstated.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2817433/If-10-days-live-kill-black-people-Racist-teacher-tells-students-s-bucket-list-manages-job.html#ixzz3ItSHFzrV

[SickOfTheOnePct]

25. Reading the article

It seems as though there is still a school board investigation. If it's proven she said those things, she should be fired immediately.

Very different from someone that posted it to social media and admitted she said it. Just a wrong, if it happened, but one is completely provable, and the other *may* not be.

[mercuryblues]

28. one teacher

was suspended without pay. She will probably be fired. The remarks were on her own time.

The other was suspended WITH pay, then reinstated until the investigation is complete. It is questionable if she will be fired for her remarks in the classroom.

She could very well be fired. One gets the benefit of the doubt, while the other is fired asap.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

29. One admitted to it

One may or may not have, the article doesn't say.
One is in Texas, one is in North Carolina, each of which has their own rules, I'm assuming, on what can/should be done during these investigations.

These are two very different situations in two completely different places. I'm not surprised they are being handled differently.

[Initech]

10. First rule of social media: don't say anything that you'll regret later.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

14. It kinda makes Twitter the bottle-of-tequila-at-Spring-Break of the internet. nt

[Oktober]

18. It helps not to be a racist in the first place...

[Initech]

21. Not going to argue with that one!

[Oktober]

13. Good... Racist moron deserves it...

[KingCharlemagne]

16. How many souls shall Ferguson consume before the fires of rage burn themselves out? From

John Brown's final prophecy (December 1859):

I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with Blood. I had as I now think vainly flattered myself that withought very much bloodshed it might be done.

Quoted in Stephen B. Oates' To Purge This Land With Blood.