‘ Really honestly, the state’s response to this awful behavior is embarrassing’
Parents and teachers from a residential Pennsylvania school district are furious at officials ‘ response to a widely-publicized TikTok teacher imitation plan involving middle school students.
Earlier this school year, several students in the Great Valley School District created bogus accounts under real teachers ‘ names and posted “racist, homophobic, ]and ] sexually inappropriate content”.
The incident was described as the” first acknowledged party TikTok assault of its kind by middle school against their teachers in the United States,” according to The New York Times.
Superintendent Daniel Goffredo stated to the Times,” we wish we could do more to keep students accountable,” but there were “legal limitations” on what the city was complete given that students created accounts “off school on individual devices during non-school hours.”
This declaration did n’t sit well with many in the community, and at last Monday’s school board meeting district officials got an earful.
District union mind Nikki Salvatico told the board that artificial student-created accounts are no “protected speech,” according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
One family said” Quite honestly, the state’s response to this atrocious conduct is embarrassing”, while another said” It took becoming renowned, in regional, national and international press, for people to then understand what’s going on”.
Further: TikTok and Instagram turned me into a communist. Here’s how X ( Twitter ) helped me escape.
The original also noted the U. S. Supreme Court has long held that schools can manage students ‘ “out-of-school talk” if it causes a” large disturbance” in school.
Thomas Richards, a member of the school board, said he thought the incident might have prompted some to question their commitment to teaching. ” I acknowledge your pain and uncertainty”, he said, pledging that the district would work to restore trust.
As for the students,” they screwed up, big time. What they did was reprehensible”, Richards said. However, I hope we can treat them with some grace. Let’s not forget they’re still kids”.
Teachers who had been impersonated by the fake accounts said in an interview after the meeting that they hoped the district’s focus would lead to changes. But they said the problem was n’t just students ‘ use of technology, but an apparent lack of empathy.
Indeed, at least one teacher from the Great Valley is deeply disturbed by the lack of compassion and remorse. ” We’ve received no apologies from students, or parents”, the teacher said. And I believe that would have been a lot of money for me.
MORE: Public universities across the country ban CCP-influenced TikTok
IMAGE: Olivia/X
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