Allentown School District relieves teacher who attended Trump 2022 The Associated Press. Please enter valid email address to continue. Best States is an interactive platform developed by U.S. News for ranking the 50 U.S. states, alongside news analysis and daily reporting. ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) A Pennsylvania teacher who was suspended last year during an investigation into his attendance at, and social media posts about, the Stop the Steal rally which later turned to a deadly insurrection on Jan. 6 has been fired for refusing to return to work. The district is mindful that teachers do not lose their [constitutional] rights because they are teachers, wrote Freund, the solicitor. Im shocked that this happened and Im scared about my future.. The freedoms ensconced in the First Amendment are among the most celebrated in the U.S. Constitution. Allentown School District board of school directors voted Thursday to fire Jason Moorehead, who was a middle school social studies teacher at the Allentown School District. Suspended Allentown teacher says he wasn't at U.S. Capitol Rachel Carr was fired from her job as a driver for PennDOT after she posted in a local Facebook group about her frustration with school bus drivers in the area after one pulled out in front of her truck. WebA Lehigh Valley teacher says he was suspended for being in Washington, D.C., on the day of the Capitol riot. Teacher suspended for attending Capitol 'Stop We talk about diversity of people but we have forgotten about diversity of speech and opinion, Malofiy said. Federal officials have been charging and arresting people in Pennsylvania and around the country for their alleged roles in breaching the building, damaging or stealing property inside and attacking law enforcement. The Georgia appeals court reasoned that her post interfered with the operation of the middle school where she taught.. Thus, Zirkel said, courts use a three-part test to determine if a public employee is protected by the First Amendment: Was the expression part of the employees duties, or was it as a private citizen? Was the Allentown teacher suspended after, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Was the Allentown teacher suspended after attending Stop the Steal rally within his rights? Know Your Rights: School Dress Codes and Uniforms Brand New App to watch all of WFMZ-TV News and Syndicated Programing 24/7 on your Streaming App enabled TV. A Chicago real estate firm fired one of its agents after she posted a selfie to social media and made reference to storming the capitol, but the agent, Libby Andrews, told the Chicago Tribune that she had been unaware anything illegal was happening and never entered the building. His termination was in no way connected to his activities on that date, the districts attorneys John E. Freund, III, and Brian J. Taylor said in a statement. Allentown Middle School Teacher Suspended After Jan. All rights reserved. or redistributed. "And there's so many issues that matter to me on both sides," he added. A mob of pro-Trump extremistsstormed the CapitolWednesday in an attempt todisrupt Congress from certifying the Electoral College results. FOX News contributors Dan Bongino and Sarah Sanders react to the day's events on 'Hannity'. He said he was never a part of the violence on Jan. 6, but that the school board painted him as an active participant in the riots., When the district finally admitted to me privately that I had done nothing wrong and that I could return, they refused to let the community know that I am safe, to alleviate both their fears and my fears about returning, he said. Can my school conduct a random Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. No, period, he said. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, and Ashli Babbit, a Trump supporter from San Diego, died from injuries sustained during the riot,CNN reported. Even though district officials have spoken with Moorehead to hear his side of the story, they have done nothing to clear his name. Utahs strong economy and business environment make it an attractive place, but experts and locals say that isnt all the Beehive State has to offer. The school board's legal council says the investigation is still ongoing. Allentown Teacher's 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. All rights reserved. Partly to mostly cloudy, brisk, and cool. Shame on you: Fired Allentown teacher who went to 2976 days ago By In one, he stood before a sea of Trump banners wearing a Make America Great Again hat and carrying a Revolutionary War flag. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. He urged staffers to "think carefully" about the information they share online, noting it could affect students and community members. Legal Statement. ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The Allentown School District is facing a legal battle after it alleged a teacher took part in the Capitol riots of January 6th. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ALLENTOWN, Pa. - An Allentown middle school teacher who was placed on leave after attending a Trump rally in Washington D.C. on January 6 is n. Other people reportedly have lost their jobs because of their involvement in the riot. My client has been very very patient in hoping that the school district would do the right thing and at this point, it seems inevitable that we will be filing a lawsuit, Malofiy said. Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. They were emboldened by President Donald Trump, who urged them to head to Capitol during a rally near the White House. Moorehead said he had an impeccable record, and cared deeply for his students most of whom were minorities. The court said public employees may be fired for speech that is not public in nature. A 2006 ruling in another case involving a prosecutor established that public employees are not protected when they speak in their official capacities. School operations at Kraemer Middle School were suspended for the day after an assistant principal apparently took his own life Monday morning in a private area Moorehead had the opportunity to return to work for well over a year and chose not to do so., Speaking to the board Thursday, Moorehead said the board fed the community lies. Allentown School District said in a letter Jan. 8 that it was investigating the teachers presence at the event but did not name him or the school where he worked. The Allentown School District is facing a legal battle after it alleged a teacher took part in the Capitol riots of January 6th. Teacher suspended The unnamed educator was among a number of people who have reportedly been fired or asked to resign from jobs after being identified as a Capitol rioter, The Morning Call in Allentown reported. ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Jason Moorehead has been the center of controversy ever since Facebook posts of him in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6 surfaced. Police arrest suspect in April shooting, McCarthy touts U.S.-Israeli ties on trip underscored, Candidates can cross-file in Pennsylvania Primaries, Suspected burglar found sweeping inside TN home, Al Da con abc27: Evento Trash Can to Treasure, White House estimates 20K Russians killed in Ukraine, Hunter Biden in court over child support payments, York County jury convicts man of third-degree murder, Pennsylvania State House forms Black-Jewish Caucus, Sen. Casey showcases federal funding in Perry County, Lancaster Police investigating shooting death, BestReviews.com - Top gifts to make everyone happy this spring, Surprise your mom with one of these Mothers Day, Mothers Day inspo: This foot massager has 20,000, Drew Barrymores Walmart collection is perfect for, Best Mothers Day gifts for the budding plant mom, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. And the rest are too afraid to stand up and do whats right, Moorehead said Thursday night. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Have a news tip? The district said previously Mooreheads social media posts about the events of Jan. 6, and not just his presence in Washington that day, were the focus of its probe last year. There was an error processing your request. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Moorehead never returned to work and he indicated he had no intention of returning, Freund told lehighvalleylive.com. The FBI has arrested more than 100 associated with the siege so far, and many companies have taken to Twitter to confirm the firing of their involved employees. 0:45 One day after the deadly insurrection in Washington, a Pennsylvania school district announced it was suspending a teacher who, the district asserted, was In 2015, a federal appeals court ruled that former Central Bucks High School East teacher Natalie Monroes comments caused enough of a disruption in the classroom and her ability to perform her job because numerous parents told the district they didnt want her to teach their children that it outweighed her First Amendment claim. "I had no idea people were breaking in and that destruction was happening," Andrews said. His termination was in no way connected to his activities on that date, the districts attorneys John E. Freund, III, and Brian J. Taylor said in a statement. The proper thing would be a full apology, Malofiy said. But those freedoms are not absolute, and over the years, the U.S. Supreme Court has established that government bodies such as school districts may fire employees for what they say if it gets in the way of the agencys mission.