Students Hit President Trump’s Face On Piñata, Teacher Suspended

[Gingersnap]

Students Hit President Trump’s Face On Piñata, Teacher Suspended
May 7, 2017 9:45 PM


By Dillon Thomas

JOHNSTOWN, Colo. (CBS4) – A teacher was placed on paid administrative leave after the Johnstown Milliken School District said he allowed students to hit a piñata with President Donald Trump’s face on it.

District Superintendent Martin Foster said the incident took place on the campus of Roosevelt High School in Johnstown as part of a Spanish class’ celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

Video, and pictures, of the incident were posted on Snapchat, a phone application that allows users to share images for a set amount of time.

When Roosevelt High parent Lesley Hollywood saw the videos on Snapchat, she immediately took offense to it.

“It is disturbing that this would be happening in a school setting,” Hollywood told CBS4’s Dillon Thomas. “Why divide people? Why do this? There are so many other ways we can address politics in schools.”

In a statement issued to CBS4, Foster confirmed an investigation was started after the Spanish teacher allegedly allowed the incident to take place on campus.

Some parents, like Hollywood, applauded the school for taking action.

“Political discourse right now, in this country, is already so strained and so angry,” Hollywood said.

Hollywood, who did not vote for Trump, said the disrespect towards the nation’s leader was what concerned her.

“I wouldn’t of cared if it was Obama’s face on that piñata, or if it had been Hillary Clinton’s face,” Hollywood said. “It doesn’t matter. This is not how we should be teaching our children politics in this country.”

“This was an incredibly disrespectful act that does not reflect the values of Roosevelt High School or the district,” Foster said.

Students at the school wrote Hollywood telling her Mexico’s president, Enrique Pena Nieto, was also on the piñata. However, neither district officials nor video evidence suggested that was the case.

Hollywood encouraged the school to have political dialogue. However, she said the manner in which the teacher allowed it to happen was not acceptable in her eyes.

“They can have these conversations in a respectful manner. I just didn’t feel this was very respectful,” Hollywood said.

This is a big deal out here and there's a lot chatter about it on the radio and local TV. Most people seem to agree that this was wildly inappropriate.

CBS

[Tom Servo]

Wow, so disrespectful. Teachers aren't even trying to hide their political leanings anymore, are they?

[Lady Marva]

Totally inappropriate to be celebrating or having anything to do with cinco de mayo in a school in the first place.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

Totally inappropriate to be celebrating or having anything to do with cinco de mayo in a school in the first place.

Because?

[Lady Marva]

Because?

Plenty of other things to celebrate.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

Plenty of other things to celebrate.

So you think that some other occasion was neglected because they celebrated 5 de mayo? In some of the schools here, they celebrate lunar new year. Is that bad, too, or only occasions involving Mexicans aren't to be celebrated? Perhaps you'd prefer to limit them to celebrating pagan festivals dressed up in quasi-Christian trappings?

[JB]

“I wouldn’t of cared if it was Obama’s face on that piñata, or if it had been Hillary Clinton’s face,” Hollywood said. “It doesn’t matter. This is not how we should be teaching our children politics in this country.”

Arrgghhhh.

Someone needs to be teachin' someone some English.

/off topic. Sorry. It's a peeve.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

Arrgghhhh.

Someone needs to be teachin' someone some English.

/off topic. Sorry. It's a peeve.

Of mine also, but I suspect it's the reporter whose English is deficient. The parent was just speaking, and aurally, "wouldn't've" and "wouldn't of" sound pretty much alike. I know Dragon voice-recognition software can't tell the difference.

While we're here, though, can we work on "could care less"?

[Tom Servo]

Plenty of other things to celebrate.

White power?

[Lady Marva]

White power?

The United States of America is neither Mexico nor France and we have no need to propagandize their military in our schools. But then Myself believes we have no need to teach subjects like math in Spanish in our schools, either.

[Gingersnap]

The United States of America is neither Mexico nor France and we have no need to propagandize their military in our schools. But then Myself believes we have no need to teach subjects like math in Spanish in our schools, either.

Correct. While the history of both countries is relevant within the context of world history, we don't celebrate Bastille Day in this country publicly (well, I do because of SIL) and an odd victory with a huge number of Irish troops fought in Mexico against the French should not be a thing in public schools, either.

We have to get over this stuff. It's okay to be proud of whatever ancestor got here and it's fine to eat those ancestral foods on family holidays but at some point, you're either a non-hyphenated American or you are part of a self-imposed genetic/cultural ghetto.

Even Orthodox Jews in Denver celebrate the 4th of July. They just don't BBQ pork ribs.

[Celeste Chalfonte]

Correct. While the history of both countries is relevant within the context of world history, we don't celebrate Bastille Day in this country publicly (well, I do because of SIL) and an odd victory with a huge number of Irish troops fought in Mexico against the French should not be a thing in public schools, either.

We have to get over this stuff. It's okay to be proud of whatever ancestor got here and it's fine to eat those ancestral foods on family holidays but at some point, you're either a non-hyphenated American or you are part of a self-imposed genetic/cultural ghetto.

Even Orthodox Jews in Denver celebrate the 4th of July. They just don't BBQ pork ribs.

So you're buying that this SPANISH class (as in, for kids to learn about the language and culture of Spanish-speaking people) observing 5 de mayo somehow implies they don't celebrate 4th of July?

I disagree with HOW they observed it. I have no idea why anyone would object to it being observed at all. We certainly DID observe Bastille Day in my high school French classes. The rest of the school didn't have a clue what we were on about, but we actually learned some history in French class.

[Gingersnap]

So you're buying that this SPANISH class (as in, for kids to learn about the language and culture of Spanish-speaking people) observing 5 de mayo somehow implies they don't celebrate 4th of July?

I disagree with HOW they observed it. I have no idea why anyone would object to it being observed at all. We certainly DID observe Bastille Day in my high school French classes. The rest of the school didn't have a clue what we were on about, but we actually learned some history in French class.

Don't care if it's a SPANISH class. If it was German class would you be okay with them smacking Barack Obama because he's a Communist?

I'm guessing, "No" and the former East Germans know a thing or two about Commies.

It's not okay period and frankly we do not need kids this age playing those games. Would pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey be "okay" if the donkey was Clinton?

I doubt it.

[Michele]

Celeste wasn't speaking to having a pinata at a Cinco de Mayo party at school. She was addressing this quote from LM:

"Totally inappropriate to be celebrating or having anything to do with cinco de mayo in a school in the first place."

[Newman]

I dimly recall an incident during last year's campaign when a union leader in SC also smacked Trump's face on a pinata. (Or was it Gov. Haley's face?) That caused a minor dust-up, mostly because it exposed that union's true colors. (Could it really have been a union in SC, a right-to-work state? I think so; dimly is the operative word here. Can I indulge the fog without Google?...)

What this teacher did was worse, of course. The act abandoned professionalism, if not adulthood. A lot of anti-Trumpsters need to check their behavior.