Cheshire Public Schools has temporarily removed a teacher from a school after a video of her expressing what the superintendent called her "personal opinion" was posted to social media.
Superintendent Jeff Solan said the district was made aware of the video over the weekend, after he had sent a message to the Cheshire school community last week about the recent tense political climate and maintaining disciplinary standards if the discourse developed into ridicule or harassment.
Solan said the teacher's video was meant to be a private message to her group on Snapchat, but was recorded by someone and then posted publicly to social media.
He said the school district is reviewing the situation.
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"…it is immediately clear that it will be impossible to conduct business as usual for our students and staff without temporarily removing the teacher from the building so we have done so until the outcome of the investigation," Solan said in a message to the school community on Monday.
The school district has been inundated with calls and emails, mostly from people who are not from Cheshire, the superintendent said.
He said the school has not received any threats, but they will have a police presence at the school out of an abundance of caution.
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Cheshire police said due to the nature of the social media post, they have begun their own investigation.
During a town council meeting Tuesday night, Chair At Large Peter Talbot described the video as an "expletive laced tirade."
"This kind of rhetoric has no place in our society and serves absolutely no purpose. Cheshire, we are better than this. America, we are better than this," Talbot said.
People had mixed feelings about the situation.
"It was just very shocking, upsetting, scary that its a teacher and she can be that unhinged," Gina Daughenbaugh said.
“I don't think anyone should threaten anybody but people do have their own opinions and whether or not you are a teacher or public servant, you do have a right to an opinion," Verna Jones said.
The Connecticut Education Association issued a statement about the video:
"CEA values the right to free speech and respects the diverse opinions of our members. We know that emotions can run high after an election, and we encourage everyone to engage in respectful conversations as part of our democratic process. Keeping our discussions civil and focused is important in maintaining a positive environment in our schools. We must continue to share our views constructively while prioritizing respect, unity, and our shared commitment to educating and caring for our students."
