Teacher insults elementary school student on Facebook
At G.D. Rogers Elementary School in Florida, a teacher decided to express her thoughts about a student online. Lauren Orban went to Facebook and wrote: “I’m fairly convinced that one of my students may be the evolutionary link between orangutans and humans.” Other teachers joined in the conversation, one writing “This made me laugh out loud.”
It’s hard to understand why educated adults who are teachers, principals and community leaders fail to grasp the consequences of hurtful speech. It’s 2012 and people still think there’s such a thing as privacy on the Internet. Not to mention the ethical violation of a professional’s duty to his or her students and clients.
Photo by Spencer E. Holtaway
These teachers were verbally disciplined and the matter was referred to the Florida Department of Education. The investigation may result in a revocation of the author’s teaching license.
The mother of the 8-year-old boy, Lisa Wade, said she is “disgusted with how they talked about my child. It hurts. . . .I send my child to school trusting them to teach him.” It is reported that the child is of color and the NAACP expressed concerns about the racial undertones. They are calling for a social media policy in the school district. Ms. Wade has contacted a lawyer and is considering legal action against the school district.
This incident comes under the category of “Teachers Acting Badly.” We’ve written about other incidents in the past.
