Missouri high school teacher, 22, resigns after he is told to remove Pride flag from his classroom because parents said he would 'teach their children to be gay'
A Missouri junior high school teacher who hung a pride flag in his classroom says he submitted his recognition after a parent accused him of teaching ‘their child to be gay.’
John M. Wallis, who taught speech and drama at Neosho High School, said his troubles began at the beginning of the curricular year when he hung a pride flag next to a sign that said, ‘In this classroom, EVERYONE is welcome.’
‘This was an attempt to make my classroom more open and welcoming for all of my students, and nothing was ever taught about the flag because it stood there as a reflection of my classroom as a safe space for my LGBTQIA+ students,’ the 22-year-old tweeted September 5.
His effort at inclusiveness backfired when a parent called to complain that Wallis was going to ‘teach their child to be gay,’ he said, adding he was instructed to remove the flag and signs.
‘In fact, the use of the pride flag in my classroom was compared to hanging the confederate flag in my classroom.’
John M. Wallis, 22, said he quit his teaching job after parents complained about his pride flag
The pride flag (pictured in a file photo) is a symbol of acceptance of all sexual proclivities
After removing the rainbow-striped flag – a universal symbol of acceptance of all sexual preferences – students began inquiring why it was removed, Wallis said in a lengthy Twitter thread.
‘I answered truthfully while expressing that, if students had a problem with who I was, there were other open classes,’ he said. ‘This led to three or more calls from parents accusing me of pushing my agenda in the classroom.’
Wallis said he was then asked to sign a letter, agreeing he would not discuss sexuality in the classroom, which prompted his resignation.
‘There is never a problem when a heterosexual teacher displays pictures of themselves and their spouses in a classroom, but I have a flag and all hell breaks loose,’ he said.
‘My administrators chose to believe the bigotry of parents over their building's teacher. To say I am devastated is an understatement.’
Wallis worked as a speech and drama teacher at Neosho Junior High School for just two weeks
Neosho School District Superintendent Jim Cummins did not immediately respond to Mailonline.com’s request for comment.
Wallis says he was 'devastated' to quit his job
However, he told The Springfield News-Leader that he was prohibited from discussing the details surrounding the teacher’s departure in great detail.
‘As per all personnel matters, there is a limited amount of information that is allowed to be shared by the school district,’ he said.
Wallis was hired by the district August 13 and resigned September 1, Cummins told the outlet.
Twitter users were mixed on the fallout, with some saying Wallis ought have left discussions on sexuality out of the classroom.
‘You can be yourselves, your sexuality doesn’t belong in taxpayer classrooms,’ tweeted @NDND033099.
‘How do you not understand this?’
Numerous people reacted to Wallis' story on Twitter, both praising and criticizing his actions
Added Twitter user @american010101: ‘Teachers have a job to teach the standard curriculum. It’s really as simple as that. Again, if a Trump flag was displayed, satanic sign, or even a swastika, people would have the same reactions. Stick to science, math, etc. Outside the classroom you can do whatever u want.’
Other Twitter users, such as @MrsBurgess2, said they sympathized with the outgoing teacher.
‘As someone who has taught in that part of the state, this lack of humanity saddens but does not surprise me,’ MrsBurgess2 tweeted. ‘Every child deserves a safe space, just as every teacher deserves to live authentically without having to hide their identity. We need MORE teachers like you.’
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