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An Ohio middle school teacher has resigned after a racist image was displayed during morning announcements in which students recited Black History Month facts.
According to ABC 6, the Bexley Middle School teacher, who remains unidentified, submitted his resignation after an image showed an orangutan eating watermelon during the morning announcements he supervises. The racist image was displayed on a green screen background right after students read a fact about Black History Month.
On Friday (February 10), the district notified families of the teacher's resignation. He was previously placed on administrative leave following the incident.
"We know this cannot be treated as any sort of ending or closure and we are steadfast in our commitment to our continued efforts to eradicate racism in Bexley Schools," district Superintendent Jason Fine wrote.
During a board meeting last week, parents threatened to sue over the incident. Bexley Middle School students walked out of their classrooms on Friday as the district reckons with racism.
"We are the children who sat there and had to look at the image the whole time in the news show. It was hurtful. It was wrong altogether. So we definitely had to say something about it," a seventh-grade student said. "I was confused. I was angry. There were so many emotions going on in my head."
In a statement on Friday, Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler acknowledged that the incident had caused “a tremendous amount of pain and hurt."
“For many of us, this week has been marked by profound sadness and dismay, and for others, it has only reaffirmed a truth that has been felt within our families for generations,” the statement read.
The teacher's resignation will be voted on by the Board of Education at a meeting on Tuesday (February 14).
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