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School aide suspended for remarks to student about Obama
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The A.W. Beattie Career Center has suspended an instructional aide for "unprofessional and unacceptable" comments about President-elect Barack Obama.
The comments were made Thursday after a 16-year-old student expressed enthusiasm about Mr. Obama's victory in the presidential election.
"Several of the comments attempted to describe, in a supposedly joking fashion, alleged social changes that would occur with Mr. Obama as president," said the release.
The student's mother, Mara Gilligan, said that the aide told her biracial daughter that Mr. Obama was going to be shot and killed, the U.S. flag would be changed to the KFC flag, and the national anthem would be changed to "Moving On Up."
"For her to be so excited and for him to destroy some of that joy, I don't think she'll ever forget this," said Ms. Gilligan.
Another staff member also heard the comments, Ms. Gilligan said, and reported the aide to the school's administration.
The Beattie Center, which provides career and technical education to students in nine North Hills school districts, suspended the aide without pay on Friday.
The school is investigating the incident further.
First Published November 11, 2008 3:54 pm
