Ohio middle school teacher and track coach Caitlin Cormack was placed on paid administrative leave on Wednesday after posting a picture on Snapchat with a caption that appeared to complain about students and parents at a nearby high school.
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After seeing students arrive to Bedford High School’s prom in a horse and carriage, Cormack shared a photo of herself on the social media platform, writing, “These damn kids and parents […] not enough money for school supplies or passing grades but out here renting horses.”
Teacher in trouble over Snapchat post about prom https://t.co/3px9bduRUn pic.twitter.com/56VuM5xkgS
— News 5 Cleveland (@WEWS) May 18, 2017
Reactions from parents ranged from anger to agreement. One parent, John Bouldin, said, “I think it’s very disrespectful to the parents. We do pay taxes in this city, so that teachers can make a nice salary to do their jobs, not to comment about our kids.”
However, another woman on Facebook defended the teacher, saying, “It was the absolute truth. How can she get fired for that?”
It’s possible that the snap could violate the school district’s social media policy, as it instructs employees to “operate under the expectation that their online statements are publicly viewable.” Also, “discussion about individual students […] is prohibited.”
“The teacher is very saddened by this, and it’s certainly a hard lesson to learn for everyone,” Superintendent Andrea Celico said, adding that the incident is currently under investigation and that she personally is “disappointed in what has happened.”