Missouri school principal responds to Parkland survivor's tweet about gun violence with picture of himself, sons holding guns
An elementary school principal was placed on paid administrative leave after he responded to a tweet by school shooting survivor David Hogg with a video of himself and his sons holding and shooting guns.
Chad Searcey is principal of Compass Elementary School in Platte City, Missouri, and has been with the Platte County R-3 School District for 14 years. On June 11, he tweeted a reply to Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland, Fla., shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, who is now a gun control advocate.
While Searcey’s tweet has since been deleted and his account is now deactivated, Hogg replied to the video of Searcey and his sons holding and shooting guns with a scathing response, alluding to students who lost their lives to gun violence and the aftermath of shootings.
Cool guns, you know what’s more cool?
Mom's and dads getting to see their kids graduate high school alive.
Kids not having to step over bloodstained sidewalks on their way to school.
Parents not coming home to find their child with a self inflicted gun shot wound. https://t.co/lPxJSBUejN— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) June 12, 2019
Several people commented on the tweet, including those who affirmed Hogg’s response, highlighting that the video was especially hateful coming from an educator.
“It makes me sooo sad that this horrid man is an elementary school principal,” one person commented. “How would he feel if the children at his school were the victims of a mass shooter? He's a really, really sick man and should be removed from his job.”
Another agreed and added that “it’s also shocking and extremely alarming to me that this man is a PRINCIPAL....this is how he responds to a boy who lost his classmates to gun violence?! Sickening.”
However, when Fox4KC interviewed mothers of students at Searcey’s elementary school, one mother, Rachel Casaos, brushed off the tweet and implied that Searcey is a good principal who doesn’t deserve backlash.
“I think everyone makes mistakes,” she told Fox4KC. “Some things are unfortunate, but he’s an amazing principal who’s very compassionate and kind. I think he should be forgiven.”
The Platte County R-III school district released a public statement outlining that Searcey’s tweet was not representative of the district’s opinion and that the matter will be dealt with seriously.
“The post was made from the employee’s personal Twitter account,” the statement read. “Posts from employee personal social media accounts do not reflect the views or opinions of the Platte County R-3 School District. We intend to address the situation immediately and in a manner consistent with our Board of Education policies, as well as our goal of ensuring a safe and caring environment for our students, staff, and community.”
The Platte County R-III school district, Compass Elementary School, David Hogg and Chad Searcey did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.
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