Tonja Luken, Indiana teacher at Middebury Community Schools resigns after wearing controversial political ‘8647’ t-shirt to the white house raising questions about educators attempting to be political (or expressing their political leanings) while on the job and school district employers tolerance for such action.
Was she attempting to be political (at least on the sly…) and did it cost her her job….?
An Indiana teacher has been forced to resign after she wore a controversial shirt during a school field trip to the White House leading to outcry on social media after photos of the educator going viral.
Tonja Luken posted a now deleted Facebook photo of her and a colleague smiling in front of the Washington DC landmark while on a trip with Middlebury Community Schools.
Indiana teacher couldn’t resist sly dig at Trump
At first glance, the photo is seemingly innocent. However, eagle-eyed social media users noticed the number ‘8647’ printed on Luken’s flowery blue t-shirt.
What could it all mean? Was there a subtext that Luken had been attempting to convey? And had the educator gone too far? Or was she within her rights to ‘express herself?’
To ’86’ something means to eject, stop or kill it. The term originated in the restaurant scene of New York in the 1930s, according to The Independent.
In this context, many people believe the number ’47’ refers to the United States’ 47th president, Donald Trump.
According to the dailymail, the number 8647 is being used on social media by individuals unhappy with the country’s current administration. Protestors also carried signs reading ‘8645’ during Trump’s previous term, the outlet noted.
Most recently former FBI Chief James Comey caused disconcert after posting a photo on Instagram last month of seashells (see image immediately below) arranged in the numerical code. Comey in turn found himself being reprimanded over the post.
Luken, likewise was spared no scrutiny when on Thursday, Middlebury Community Schools announced that they had opened an investigation into the teacher, only for the school district to announce the next day that the educator had ‘elected’ to vacate her position.
Would Middlebury school teacher still have been fired had she criticized politician/president that school administration disapproved of?
In a released statement, Middlebury Community Schools rebuked Luken’s decision to openly express her political affiliation at a school event.
‘Middlebury Community Schools owns policies that require teachers to refrain from using their position to promote partisan political views.
‘This prohibition applies to all teachers regardless of their political leanings, and to every political message regardless of its content,’ they wrote.
‘Earlier this week, Middlebury Community Schools’ administration learned of a social media post made by a teacher while serving as a chaperone on a student trip to our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. In the posted photograph, the teacher is wearing a T-shirt possessing a partisan political message while supervising students.’
‘School administrators are actively investigating the situation.
‘The student trip only returned to Middlebury on Wednesday, June 4, which unfortunately slowed the investigation process.’
But just a day later, the district announced Luken’s departure, WNDU reported.
‘Earlier today, Middlebury Community Schools completed its investigation into circumstances surrounding a teacher’s social media post.
‘After the conclusion of the school corporation’s interview, when informed the school corporation would be commencing the cancellation of her contract, the teacher submitted her immediate resignation,’ they said.
‘The teacher is no longer employed by the school corporation’
Luken, who is a married mother of five, has since archived all public social media profiles and has made no public statement about the incident or her exit.
