Texas school board fires teacher who reported undocumented students to Trump on Twitter
A teacher has been fired by a Texas school board for trying to report undocumented students in her district to President Donald Trump through a series of public tweets she thought were private.
The Fort Worth Independent School District unanimously voted 8-0 to dismiss Georgia Clark at a meeting held yesterday.
Clark, who was an English teacher at Carter-Riverside High school, tweeted the 45th President of the United States saying that the establishment had been "taken over" by "illegal students from Mexico." She added in another public tweet that Trump was elected "on the promise that a wall would be built to protect our borders."
"Mr. President, Fort Worth Independent School District is loaded with illegal students from Mexico," Clark followed up in a tweet published on the 17th May. "Anything you can do to remove the illegals from Fort Worth would be greatly appreciated."
The teacher believed she had taken due diligence, asking Trump for guarantees that her identity would be safeguarded when action was taken. "Texas will not protect whistle blowers. The Mexicans refuse to honor our flag," she asserted.
The tweets started making the rounds on social media last week, and Clark's account was deleted on the 29th May.
According to a review by the Fort Worth Independent School District - which was obtained by The Washington Post - the teacher acknowledged that the posts were hers, but "stated that she did not realise the tweets were public."
Credit: Twitter
The backlash was swift. "Her comments were hurtful, irresponsible, misleading and distrustful to the students she is supposed to protect and educate," one woman allegedly told the board. And speaking after Clark's firing, District Superintendent Kent P. Scribner corroborated that her behaviour "warranted our recommendation for termination."
Per NBC Dallas-Fort worth, Ms. Clark can still appeal the decision with the state.
The publication also notes that the teacher has previously been investigated for making similar remarks.