FLORIDA – A Florida teacher has been suspended pending an investigation by the Lake County School Board following comments he made on Facebook concerning same-sex marriage.
Jerry Buell, a social studies teacher at Mount Dora High School, commented in a recent Facebook exchange that he “almost threw up” in response to a news story about legalized same-sex marriage in New York. He also said same-sex marriages were part of a “cesspool” and a “sin.”
The Orlando Sentinel reported that Lake County school officials suspended him for violating their newly-adopted social media policy that warns teachers to think before they post.
“Social media is a minefield. People think they’re free to say what they want to, but in some aspects it can come back to haunt you,” Chris Patton, a school district spokesman, told the Sentinel.
Buell, who protested his suspension, told the Sentinel, “It wasn’t out of hatred. It was about the way I interpret things. I’ve had kids that I’ve known that have been homo-sexuals. They know that I don’t hate them. I love them.”
Buell said that he posted his comments on his personal page when he was off-duty, but the school dismissed his argument saying that their new policy clearly stated that, “Private use of internet and social networking is not private and employees should remain professional in using the communication at all times.”
A number of Buell’s students were disappointed by his comments. The Sentinel reported Brett Winters, a former Mount Dora high school student as saying, “This type of hateful language is dangerous not only to gay students, but also to anti-gay students.”
The school district said Buell will be reassigned to an administrative position pending an investigation into whether he violated the district’s code of conduct for educators.
