Teacher Placed on Leave after Questioning Whether Pro-life Students Could Participate in a Walkout
- Updated Mar 16, 2018
A California high school teacher has been placed on paid administrative leave after she questioned whether a student walkout would be allowed for the pro-life cause.
On Wednesday, March 14th, thousands of students participated in a walkout to protest gun violence and to honor the 17 students and teachers who were killed in the Parkland, Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Reason.com reports that Julianne Benzel, a teacher at Rocklin High School in Rocklin, California, was placed on leave after she questioned whether the school’s administrators would give the same treatment to students who wanted to participate in a walkout for the pro-life cause.
“And so I just kind of used the example which I know it's really controversial, but I know it was the best example I thought of at the time," Benzel explained. "[If] a group of students nationwide, or even locally, decided 'I want to walk out of school for 17 minutes' and go in the quad area and protest abortion, would that be allowed by our administration?"
Benzel’s students apparently understood the point she was trying to make and they had a helpful class discussion, but the school’s administration did not see the issue the same way.
Instead, they issued this statement: “A Rocklin High School teacher has been placed on paid administrative leave due to several complaints from parents and students involving the teacher's communications regarding today's student-led civic engagement activities.”
Photo courtesy: Getty Images
Publication date: March 16, 2018
