Two DeKalb County teachers have resigned after making disparaging statements about illegal immigration, district officials said Tuesday.
According to district officials, Cross Keys High School teachers Diane Clark resigned effective Nov. 28 and Susan Petre resigned effective Dec. 1. Both resignations were "in lieu of termination," district officials said.
Both teachers were removed from their classrooms on Nov. 10 pending investigations into claims they made statements about illegal immigrants, tying it in to Donald Trump's presidential election, which took place Nov. 8.
Information from the district's investigations was not available Tuesday.
“In accordance with established protocol, we began an investigation on Thursday … when the allegations were brought to our attention,” district officials said at the time.
Several incidents nationally were apparently sparked after the businessman and reality TV star won the presidential election. A student in a Detroit suburb posted a video of other students chanting "build a wall" toward Hispanic and Latino students. A teacher in Owasso, Okla., was caught on camera complaining about voters after the election.
Anti-Trump protests also have taken place across the country, including in Atlanta, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities.
At Cross Keys, 86 percent of the students are Hispanic or Latino. Most of those parents speak English as a second language, if at all. The school was in the news recently after state officials announced last month that the school reported the third-largest graduation rate increase between 2015 and 2016. Principal Jason Heard said then that helping parents learn English was the key that sparked more parental engagement.
About the Author
