MEMPHIS, TN- The principal of Cordova High School in Tennessee’s Shelby County School (SCS) system has been placed on paid administrative leave after comments he allegedly made over SCS’s virtual learning platform.
Cordova High School principal on administrative leave for “free speech” video https://t.co/1hMC4W5U7S via @localmemphis
— 🇺🇸 A Candle Lit 🇺🇸 (@A_Candle_Lit) January 18, 2021
According to reports, Principal Barton Thorne was “critical of the riots at the Capitol,” but he “objected to actions taken by several social media platforms.” In a recording that WREG did not air, Thorne said:
“It’s what’s going on with Twitter and Facebook and Google and Apple and their decision as private companies to filter and to decide what you, you hear and know about.”
During Principal Thorne’s remarks, which were a little more than nine minutes long, he commented on freedom of speech zeroing in on social media platforms and their censorship.
#censorship
“He should be saluted for educating the kids at Cordova High School instead of indoctrinating them.”Tennessee Principal Put On Leave For Blasting Twitter’s Social Media Crackdown https://t.co/kcDqHcfT5l
— ✌♥️~LoveLaw~ (@lovelaw2) January 13, 2021
He reportedly did not make the comments in defense of President Donald Trump, but rather free speech. Of the riot, he said:
“That was ignorance at the highest level. I don’t know of too many people that are going to be okay with what happened. I don’t care what side you agree with, we don’t practice sedition, we don’t attach our legislature.”
On Wednesday, January 13th, Thorne told The Commercial Appeal that, “Individuals who are inciting violence should be removed.” He also said that he had been asked by a supervisor to not speak at length to the media bout his speech to students and the district’s investigation.
On Monday, January 11th, Thorne told students that “a marketplace of free exchange of ideas” was at stake and that students should be concerned that there is not elected accountability for the social media and tech platforms and only financial power from users. He said:
“Because there have been times even in American history where a small group of people decided what you could hear. You think about ‘McCathyism.’ If you don’t know about that, you can Google that or talk to your social studies teacher.”
He added:
“Think about totalitarian governments, think about North Korea, think about China. What makes those types of systems possible is the restrictions and the elimination of the free exchange of ideas. You may be in agreement with the people who are doing the filtering, but it’s just one moment away from someone else being able to filter you.”
His comments do not warrant discipline. It was simply an argument for freedom of expression.
Cordova High School principal put on leave after comments he reportedly made on SCS virtual learning platform https://t.co/zagrPiO4JU
— javier bailey (@javierbailey) January 13, 2021
He added that the lack of accountability should “be very chilling for you, that should be very frightening for you.” Thorne told students that he was “not a conspiracy theorist” and that he was not on social media.
A search by The Commerical Appeal found a LinkedIn account for Thorne and a Twitter profile with the same profile image that had not been active since 2016.
District spokeswoman Jerrica Phillips said in a statement:
“The principal at Cordova High School has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the review of the comments that were made.”
She added:
“To my understanding it was a recording that was shared on our virtual platforms with the schools Microsoft teams. I’ll have to learn more about whether or not it was an opening school message or how exactly it went out or what time of day.”
A Tennessee principal was placed on paid administrative leave after warning students about the dangers of social media censorship.https://t.co/SFn1uGJYDE pic.twitter.com/zNF0MukH5Q
— Tennessee Star (@TheTNStar) January 15, 2021
Michael Lowe, with the district’s Office of Equity and Access, said sometimes people need to “temper back” their comments in “emotionally charged” situations. School board member Shelead Harris said:
“With the horrific events from last week at our U.S. Capitol, we have to ensure our children, teachers, and school staff remain in a consistent environment that promotes safety, cultural sensitivity, and represents the highest level of excellence.”
She added:
“As leaders, we must be intentional about creating spaces for our students to discuss and process events that take place in our country and community.”
High School Principal Placed on Leave After Speaking Out Against Censorshiphttps://t.co/d9DZsZoGMk
— Paul Kent (@kentpg) January 18, 2021
Keith Williams, the Executive Director of the Memphis Shelby County Education Association, said in a statement:
“It was very insensitive and there are several teachers who have called who were insulted about the things that he said.”
He added:
“He brought this up all on his own and gave a position and went too far to one side.”
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January 11th, 2021
The following article contains editorial content written by a retired Chief of Police and current staff writer for Law Enforcement Today.
—
JEFFERSON COUNTY, WV- In the 1700’s, American patriots were persecuted by a tyrannical British government. Pushed to the brink, the then-colonists had enough and pushed back. Colonists who wanted the ability to do things such as freely assemble, worship as they pleased, and be secure in their homes signed a document called the Declaration of Independence.
Persecution…we thought it ended when we gained our independence from the British crown. Apparently not, at least if you’re a conservative who loves their country. Ask teachers in Jefferson County, West Virginia, according to The Spectator.
Let’s get this out of the way. The attack on the US Capitol Building by several hundred idiots was wrong. They should be identified, prosecuted and put in jail. However, there were hundreds of thousands of people outside the Capitol on January 6; much less than one-percent were responsible for what happened. That matters not to those on the political left.
The beauty of the United States of America has always been our ability to engage in healthy debate without resorting to violence. It is the hallmark of our Republic. Every four years, we hold an election for the leader of our country, which is settled at the ballot box, not with guns. No matter our political differences, we debate, try to reach common ground if possible, and live our lives. Not anymore.
The incident in Washington, DC on the 6th was not encouraged or endorsed. However that doesn’t stop those who hate President Trump.
His political enemies, the entire radical left in the country (because clearly there are no more moderates left in the Democratic Party) are blaming him for the violence at the Capitol. They are claiming he “incited an insurrection.”
To what end? Despite their words of “unity,” the opposition is trying to crush their opponent(s). The pepper spray had not even cleared from the Capitol before Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and the usual assortment of nuts were talking impeachment and/or 25th Amendment.
Moreover, calls were being made far and wide in the left-wing echo chambers such as CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post and the rest of Democratic state media to punish Trump supporters.
Punish Trump supporters? You mean the ones (if they truly were Trump supporters) who stormed the Capitol building?
No. Everyone who attended the rally/protest, including those who were there to merely exercise their First Amendment rights of peaceful assembly.
Jefferson County, West Virginia is a dead red county. The voters in that county overwhelmingly voted to reelect Donald Trump.
That matters not to the school superintendent in that county, who is threatening to fire any teacher who attended the event. Persecution for a political movement or view which this bureaucrat doesn’t agree with.
According to WFMD:
Nearly 30 teachers in Jefferson County, West Virginia that attended the rally at the Capital [sic] in Washington DC on Wednesday are now being threatened with termination.
A letter was sent to the teachers by Jefferson County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bondy Shay Gibson.
In the letter, the teachers are told to report to a meeting on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 where disciplinary action, including termination, will be discussed. The teachers are encouraged to bring a representative with them. The teachers were also told to not enter any Jefferson County School’s property or attend any school activity.
Time was, a teacher attending such an event would be encouraged, given the historical significance of the day. There have been no allegations made that any of these teachers had been among those who breached the US Capitol. They merely attended the event, which was overwhelmingly peaceful with the exception of the breach on the Capitol.
This type of response from a school official should scare the bejeezus out of every patriotic American who believes in the rule of law and who believes in the United States Constitution. Getting threatened with discipline including termination for exercising First Amendment rights is beyond the pale.
Gibson’s threat is clearly illegal and unconstitutional. Under the First Amendment, the right of peaceful assembly is clearly spelled out. The reason freedom of the press, religion and assembly are in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution is because our founders believed those rights to be the most precious of all.
The fact that Gibson is obviously a left-wing loon who disagrees with the president doesn’t give her the right to impose her own political beliefs on her employees. Unless she can prove that any of these educators in fact breached the Capitol and engaged in illegal activity, she’s blowing smoke. This is noting but a move to intimidate her employees and discourage political discourse. So much for education.
We’re fairly certain that based on Gibson’s apparent bias, she would have had no problem if her teachers had participated in Black Lives Matter protests, even the ones which turned violent. Because after all, that’s a cause she can believe in! Hypocrite.
Equally disturbing, Gibson has apparently authorized surveillance of social media accounts of district employees in order to keep tabs on their activities. Clearly the identification of teachers who attended the rallies were gained through being tagged in posts or images on social media; otherwise how else would she know? Unless of course another left-wing rat “dimed out” the attendees.
The fact this is taking place in a “dead red” community in West Virginia should serve as a wakeup call to people living anywhere else. As we have seen this past week, liberals have become emboldened. When they delete the account of the President of the United States and eliminate his ability to post on social media OR send emails to his supporters, what isn’t beyond these tyrants?
When tech tyrants get alternative platforms shut down, when someone from CNN is suggesting to cable and satellite companies that networks such as Fox News, Fox Business, OANN and Newsmax be removed from their platforms, is there anything these people won’t do?
They are trying to control every facet of our lives. What we can watch, where we can go, what news we can see and apparently what causes we can protest for.
“Bring the country together?” More like July 4, 1776.
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