Weird: not a single photo or video of the ‘offenders’
Teachers at a majority-Hispanic north New Jersey high school are under investigation for allegedly donning “offensive” “Gulf of America” t-shirts.
President Trump signed an executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America shortly after assuming office. Merchandisers quickly took advantage.
According to NorthJersey.com, a “small group of staff members” (all male, according to a local resident) at Belleville High School reportedly coordinated the politically charged wardrobe on a January 31 “dress down” day.
The shirts apparently “offended some students and employees.”
One Belleville teacher blasted her shirt-wearing colleagues on social media for “attempt[ing] to bully Latino students who fear Trump’s threatened Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids,” NJ.com reports.
“Our student body has been suffering, crying, coming into school, emails from kids saying their parents are not letting come back for fear that they get picked up by ICE raids,” the teacher posted. “I feel as if those t-shirts at Belleville High School are sending a clear-cut message to these kids …”
Oddly, no photos or videos of the teachers wearing the shirts yet have popped up. Belleville High has a student population of over 1,500. The Facebook group Belleville Watch theorized this might be because students are “afraid to share them for fear of getting in trouble.”
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[Superintendent Nicholas] Perrapato sent a letter [see below] to parents, staff and the school community in which he acknowledged “a recent situation that has caused concern within our school community,” and said the matter was being addressed “internally.”
“Last week, a small group of staff members wore coordinated clothing that some students and staff found offensive,” Perrapato wrote in the letter […] “We understand this has impacted members of our community in different ways, and we take these concerns seriously.”
Perrapato declined to provide specifics, citing it as a personnel matter, but stated that it would be addressed according to district policies and procedures. …
“We recognize that political discourse can be especially charged, and we encourage thoughtful actions and respectful conversations among our students and staff,” Perrapato wrote, adding that school counselors would be available for any student in need of support. “We are committed to working together to ensure that our schools remain a positive learning environment.”
Belleville Public Schools district policy “generally” bans teachers from engaging in “political activity” at school but “doesn’t expressly forbid clothing with political slogans.” The policy also protects “constitutionally protected speech.”
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