26 May Florida teacher fired for discussing sexual orientation with students
May 4, 2022
CAPE CORAL, FLA. (TND) — An art teacher at a middle school in Cape Coral, Florida, who identifies as “pansexual,” said she was fired from her job for discussing sexuality with her students, according to a report from WBBH News in Florida.
Casey Scott, a first-year art teacher at Trafalgar Middle School, said her students were curious about her sexual orientation, so she decided to chat about it with them. Alongside the discussion, students drew flags expressing their own sexuality, Scott noted.
A lot of the kids came up to me, like ‘Oh, well I’m non-binary’ and a couple kids said ‘Oh, well I’m bi.’ One kid said they’re gay,” Scott told WBBH. “A discussion happened in class and because of that, now I’m fired.
After posting her students’ drawings on the classroom door, Scott was asked to remove them, and she complied.
“They said it would be in the best interest if I got rid of them now,” said Scott, who later posted pictures of the crumpled-up drawings in the trash to social media.
Smith showed WBBH News social media posts she claimed were from students upset about her firing. However, speaking with officials from the Lee County school district, WBBH News was shown several complaints from parents and students regarding the incident.
The local teacher’s union president, Kevin Daly, said it was within the school district’s legal rights to fire her since she was a new teacher still in the probationary period for new hires.
The district exercised its right to terminate the teacher’s probationary contract because she did not follow the state mandated curriculum,” the Lee County school district told The National Desk in a statement.
Scott was asked by WBBH News how she feels about what happened.
“Really ashamed, I guess, disappointed,” Scott said, “because I feel like it’s all my fault and I was just being myself.”
Florida teacher allegedly fired for discussing sexual orientation with students | WPEC (cbs12.com)