Texas teacher put on leave for pro-BLM, LGBTQ posters has job reinstated after outcry
A Texas teacher has been reinstated after the school district put her on leave following complaints about Black Lives Matter and pro-LGBTQ posters she displayed on the walls of her virtual classroom, according to a statement from the school district.
Taylor Lifka, a high school English teacher, was placed on administrative leave by the Roma Independent School District on Sunday after several complaints were made regarding the material.
Among those upset was Marian Knowlton, a Republican currently running for the Texas House of Representatives.
Knowlton wrote a Facebook post regarding the material, referring to the BLM movement as “Marxist” and taking issue with Lifka asking students which pronoun they prefer to use.
The Facebook post has since been removed.
The nonprofit organization, South Texas Equality Project (STEP) started a petition on Change.org to reinstate Lifka on Tuesday. It has gathered more than 33,000 signatures as of Friday.
“Our nation is in a really divisive state right now, and so when something like this comes out that a teacher is being placed on administrative leave because of parents’ concerns over teaching tolerance in the classroom, that’s a bigger question,” Lifka said to NBC News.
The Roma Independent School District said in a statement that Lifka had been reinstated on Wednesday and is allowed to keep the material seen in her virtual classroom.
“She is being allowed that opportunity, provided that the use of the virtual classroom background space in this instance does not come to overly disrupt or detract from the educational process or the learning environment.”
The statement also said that the district “stands behind the concepts of equality and inclusivity.”
Roma ISD Superintendent Carlos Guzman said in the statement that it’s the district’s responsibility to listen to the concerns of parents while also taking into consideration the rights of teachers and students.
“Roma ISD regrets that this matter has become a point of controversy. It was never the intention of the District to indicate anything less than full support for the concepts of equality and student safety,” said Guzman. “As educators and community members, Roma ISD has an obligation to carefully listen to parent concerns and respond to them, taking into consideration the rights of employees and students.
”As a school district, we must create a safe environment for our teachers and students that fosters and respects everyone’s beliefs in a manner that does not discriminate or disrupt the learning environment,” Guzman continued. “I want to affirm that our District is filled with caring and committed educators that give 100 percent of themselves every day to the education and development of our students.”
Prior to her reinstatement, Lifka said she told the administration this wasn’t the first time parents have been upset, according to NBC.
“I’ve already told the administration that I do not envy their position,” Lifka said, adding that she told them, “Your job sometimes might seem like a job where you need to please, and while this might be challenging, I think that sometimes we need to do the right thing even though it’s going to upset some people.”
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Texas teacher put on leave for pro-BLM, LGBTQ posters has job reinstated after outcry."