Texas Teacher Fired Over Tweets Asking Trump to ‘Remove Illegals’ - Do You Support the Firing?

What’s the story?

• A Texas high school teachers was fired Tuesday after asking President Donald Trump to deport unauthorized immigrants from her school.
• Georgia Clark made the request in a series of public tweets that she believed were private messages to the president.
• In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled that public schools are required to teach children, regardless of their immigration status. Schools are also prohibited from asking parents about immigration status or reporting family members to authorities.

What did the tweets say?

• "[Fort Worth] ISD is loaded with illegal students from Mexico," Clark tweeted on May 17.
• "Carter-Riverside High School has been taken over by them," Clark wrote. "Drug dealers are on our campus and nothing was done to them."
• Clark blamed an assistant principal, whom she referred to as a “Hispanic assistant principal who protects certain students from criminal prosecution.”
• “Anything you can do to remove the illegals from Fort Worth would be greatly appreciated,” she said.
• Clark added that she needed guarantees her identity would stay anonymous, tweeting: "Texas will not protect whistle blowers. The Mexicans refuse to honor our flag."
• Clark ended the tweets listing two private phone numbers and assured the president she was using her real name.
• On May 22, she followed up with additional tweets, including: "I really do need a contact here in FW who should be actively investigating & removing illegals that are in the public school system."

What are people saying?

Clark critics

• On Tuesday, the Fort Worth Independent School Board of Trustees voted unanimously to terminate Clark's contract with good cause.

• During the meeting, 15 people spoke in support of her firing, including immigrant advocacy group United Fort Worth, which criticized Clark as a teacher "who wants to turn classrooms into deportation zones."
• School Superintendent Kent Scribner applauded the board for their "strong record of supporting students and their quest for success, college, career and community leadership."

"Fort Worth serves 86,000 students, and it is our goal that we treat each one with dignity and respect, and based on the information that we have, we think this is the most responsible recommendation at this time."

 Clark supporters

• The Facebook group Fort Worth Republican Women defended Clark and said those trying to silence her were violating her right to free speech.
• "The students were offended by a teacher asking the President, Donald J Trump, to enforce the law so she's disciplined?" the group wrote.

"Would the same be true if another teacher supported illegal immigration?"

• Clark’s attorney, Brandon Brim, told TIME that the teacher “intends to request a hearing for the purpose of contesting the proposed action against her contract.”

What do you think?

Do you support Clark’s firing? Or does it violate her free speech? Should public schools be required to teach children, regardless of their immigration status? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman