Teacher apologizes for 'Hitler Youth' tweet misidentifying student in viral video
A Colorado middle school teacher is apologizing to the parent of a Kentucky student she likened to a Hitler Youth member after mistaking him for a Covington Catholic High School student at the center of a viral video.
Michelle Grissom, who teaches at Mountain Ridge Middle School in Highlands Ranch, Colo., sent a letter of apology on Friday after posting tweets in which she incorrectly identified a student in now viral footage taken at the March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., last weekend.
“I feel horrible about not having made a public apology sooner,” Grissom said in the statement, according to Denver news station KMGH. “I have not been able to make statements or comment on the matter, but I need for you to know how repentant I am about what happened.”
Denver news station 9NEWS reported that Grissom named Jay Jackson in a tweet about the confrontation between Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann and Native American activist Nathan Phillips.
Jackson’s father, John, flagged the tweets to the Colorado school district, saying that while his son is enrolled at Covington Catholic High School, he was not in Washington at the time.
(1/3) @mountainridgems @dcsdk12 @MsGrissom on Saturday Jan 19 a teacher at ur school, Michelle Grissom posted a picture of my 17 yo son and a defamatory and untrue accusation regarding the incident that occurred in DC over the weekend..calling my son a #hitleryouth when I told
(1/3) @mountainridgems @dcsdk12 @MsGrissom on Saturday Jan 19 a teacher at ur school, Michelle Grissom posted a picture of my 17 yo son and a defamatory and untrue accusation regarding the incident that occurred in DC over the weekend..calling my son a #hitleryouth when I told
Her my son was not in DC but playing basketball she demanded proof, proof sent she finally acquiesced and apologized but has refused to take down her post and my sons picture...I hope this is dealt with appropriately and swiftly ...my son was harassed and bullied as a (2/3)
Her my son was not in DC but playing basketball she demanded proof, proof sent she finally acquiesced and apologized but has refused to take down her post and my sons picture...I hope this is dealt with appropriately and swiftly ...my son was harassed and bullied as a (2/3)
result of this teachers rush to judgement ..totally abhorrent behavior and inexcusable actions that need to have consequences...SHE IS TEACHING YOUR STUDENTS!!! (3/3) pic.twitter.com/1hjAMBagtr
In her letter, Grissom says she “made a mistake” and offers a “sincere apology” to Jay and his family, KMGH reported.
Some parents have called Grissom’s tweet cyberbullying.
“[She] went out of her way to go after a child. That to me is full-fledged bullying, that’s all that she did,” one parent at a Douglas County school board meeting told KMGH. “She bullied that child to try to get her point of view across, that he was a Nazi in training.”
Others who heard about the incident have tweeted the school and the district, urging administrators to take action against the teacher.
@mountainridgems I sure hope you take a very close look at michelle grissom's conduct over the past day or two and take appropriate action. her actions are deplorable, and she's given a very bad look to your school and educators in general.
@dcsdk12 fire Michelle Grissom. An absolute disgrace that she is an educator for you. A disgrace she is an educator at all. She openly hopes for acts of hate and violence.
Mountain Ridge Middle School principal Shannon Clarke confirmed to Yahoo Lifestyle that Grissom had been put on administrative leave. She also stepped down from a leadership position she held in the local teachers’ union.
Teacher apologizes for 'Hitler Youth' tweet misidentifying student in viral video
![Teacher apologizes for 'Hitler Youth' tweet misidentifying student in viral video]()
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January 27, 2019
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