The principal of a public highschool in Louisiana who cited faith as justification for punishing a pupil after a video of her dancing circulated on social media has apologized and requested for a depart for the remainder of the college 12 months.
The principal of Walker Excessive Faculty, Jason St. Pierre, prompted an outcry after he stripped Kaylee Timonet, 17, of her place as president of the college’s pupil authorities affiliation and rescinded a scholarship endorsement. The punishment was in response to a video of her dancing behind one other pupil at an off-campus occasion after Homecoming.
Ms. Timonet mentioned in a video interview on the web site Unfiltered with Kiran that she was dancing behind a buddy, “hyping her up.”
She mentioned that the principal, Mr. St. Pierre, and the assistant principal known as her into their workplace on Tuesday and instructed her that she was stripped of her pupil authorities submit. She mentioned she “began crying hysterically.”
In the identical video interview, Ms. Timonet mentioned the college directors instructed her that she needs to be ashamed of herself in addition to involved for her afterlife, as a result of she “wasn’t following God’s beliefs, which made me cry much more.”
Public outrage adopted, and on-line critics made comparisons to “Footloose,” a fictional film a few conservative small city the place dancing is against the law. Others posted below the hashtag “let the woman dance.”
In his apology, Mr. St. Pierre mentioned this week that members of the scholar authorities have been held to a excessive normal of habits. “Whereas I stand by that premise, I do consider that normal deserves the enter of not simply myself and prime directors, but in addition these pupil leaders,” Mr. St. Pierre added in an announcement. “I hope to create a path shifting ahead the place we will work collectively to create clear expectations for all.”
Native information media has reported that for the reason that apology was posted on the college’s web site and app, Mr. St. Pierre requested a depart for the remainder of the college 12 months. Bruce Chaffin, the assistant superintendent of colleges for the college district, refused to touch upon Thursday. A number of members of the Livingston Parish Faculty District, of which Walker Excessive Faculty is an element, didn’t instantly return requests for remark.
Mr. St. Pierre mentioned he would reinstate Ms. Timonet as the scholar authorities president and restore his endorsement wanted for a Pupil Authorities Affiliation scholarship utility for Ms. Timonet.
Ms. Timonet and her mom mentioned of their taped movies that the deadline to use for the scholarship had handed. Ms. Timonet’s mom, Rachel, mentioned in a self-taped video that she was on the occasion the place the dancing occurred and that “there was nothing inappropriate in any respect to me.”
“There are two issues I’ve at all times taught my youngsters to not discuss: One is politics and one is faith,” she mentioned in a self-taped video additionally posted on Unfiltered with Kiran. Ms. Timonet and her mom weren’t instantly accessible for remark.
In his apology, Mr. St. Pierre mentioned he had “the very best intentions” in invoking faith. “I do perceive it’s not my accountability to find out what college students’ or others’ non secular beliefs could also be,” he mentioned.
Jill Heinrich, a professor of schooling at Cornell Faculty in Iowa, mentioned that academics and principals at public colleges perform as an arm of the state. With that in thoughts, faith principally has no place in a public faculty, she mentioned, until it’s being studied in a secular manner.
“You possibly can discuss non secular occasions in historical past class,” Ms. Heinrich mentioned, including that “there might be completely no advocacy.”
