MO school principal on paid leave over tweet to anti-gun teen
A Twitter response to a message from teen anti-gun activist David Hogg that urged support for gun control has earned a paid leave for a Missouri school principal, according to KCTV News.
The Daily Caller and WGHP News identified the school principal as Dr. Chad Searcey. He responded to Hogg’s tweet by sending back images of himself holding a semi-auto modern sporting rifle and his sons shooting handguns, with the word “#Merica” over his image. The exchange reportedly occurred Tuesday.
Searcey reportedly deleted his message and apologized but by then, Hogg had sent it out with the message, “Cool guns, you know what’s more cool? Mom’s (sic) and dads getting to see their kids graduate high school alive. Kids not having to step over bloodstained sidewalks on their way to school. Parents not coming home to find their child with a self inflicted gun shot (sic) wound.”
Hogg became a celebrity in the wake of the 2018 Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. That incident launched a national student movement that was quickly appropriated by the gun control lobby, and Hogg appeared in several programs and in the national spotlight.
In a video, Hogg contended that “Gun violence is the second leading cause of death for the young people in the United States, yet basically gets no research funding from the federal government at all whatsoever. We have a chance to fund it currently in this Congress with this Senate and give $50 million to the CDC and NIH.”
Join @AMarch4OurLives and @bradybuzz in the #WeNeedtoKnow campaign to get Congress to fund gun violence research.
Record your own video explaining why we need to find gun violence research and tag your congressman and senators with #WeNeedtoKnow https://t.co/ynkGEYUh0q
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) June 11, 2019
The Platte County school district issued a statement that did not name Searcey.
“On June 11, 2019, a school district employee posted a tweet in response to a comment encouraging Congress to fund research on gun violence. The post was made from the employee’s personal Twitter account. Posts from employee personal social media accounts do not reflect the views or opinions of the Platte County R-3 School District.
“The District learned of the tweet on June 12, 2019, and immediately placed the employee on paid, administrative leave while we investigate the situation. We understand why the public response has been strong with regard to student safety in our nation’s schools. We intend to address the situation immediately and in a manner consistent with our Board of Education policies, as well as our goal of ensuring a safe and caring environment for our students, staff, and community.
“Due to the confidentiality of personnel matters, this is all we can share at this time.”
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