A teacher has resigned from a school in Texas after they were photographed putting their foot on the neck of a Black student.
On Tuesday April 20th, a teacher who has yet to be identified resigned from her position at Lamar Elementary School in Greenville, Texas, following an image of her placing her foot on a Black student’s neck was released.
According to reports, the scenario in which the “staged photo” arose came after the teacher was alleged to have told the boy that she would place her foot on his neck if he didn’t complete his school work.
The student’s aunt, Lakadren Moore, said that her nephew and his other classmates believed the teacher would not follow through with the warning and after he got on the floor, the picture below was taken:
#NEW A Greenville ISD teacher is on administrative leave after a “staged photo” shared online showed the employee placing her foot on a student’s neck.
The family of the boy shared this photo with me. pic.twitter.com/SWkvnkXDSo
— Alex Rozier (@AlexNBCLA) April 21, 2021
The student’s mother said that she received the picture from the teacher personally and that she recognises it was intended to be a “joke.”
In a Facebook post written Friday – the same day the school district met to call for her resignation – the mother claimed that she had a “genuine friendship” with the teacher, stating she has a “heart of pure gold” and should keep her job.
Nevertheless, the photo was deemed inappropriate and offensive, with the similarities to the George Floyd case apparent. The Greenville Independent Schools District has apologised to parents and students for “the distress this incident has caused by the incident”. You can see the full statement below:
— Greenville ISD (@GreenvilleISD) April 23, 2021
