Teacher put on leave after dressing as the devil and telling kids to Hail Satan
A teacher was placed on administrative leave after dressing up as the devil for Halloween and telling students "Hail Satan".
The high school teacher of Mesa High School in Arizona is under investigation following a Halloween incident that raised concerns among students, parents, and school officials. The teacher allegedly dressed up as a devil, complete with horns and a pitchfork, and greeted students with a "hail Satan" declaration as they entered the classroom.
READ MORE: 'I ruined Halloween for 1,000 kids in my neighbourhood - and I'm proud of it'
The incident, reported by a sophomore student named Nathaniel Hamlet, led to the teacher being placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to Mesa Public Schools. The teacher explained that their costume was part of the "Dynamic duos" theme, as a neighbouring teacher was dressed as an angel. He told 12News: "Participating in spirit weeks like this is a way for me to engage with my students and bring fun to my classroom. It's truly not any more complicated than that."
For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
Nursery apologises after child with Down's syndrome ‘treated less favourably’
Nathaniel Hamlet said he was offended from the stunt (12 News)However, some students, including Hamlet, took offence to the devil costume due to religious reasons. Hamlet, who identifies as Christian, expressed his discomfort with the teacher's actions, stating that he tried to stop the teacher from persisting but was unsuccessful. Hamlet said: "Some people thought it was funny, some people didn't like it, some people were like 'whatever,' they just blew it off."
As the teacher waved the pitchfork above students, Hamlet reacted: "I said, 'Don't do that to me' and I pushed [the pitchfork] away, maybe three or four times and he still said it and still did it. I feel like that's fair, but he did it repeatedly to everyone. So I feel like [the teacher] should probably get fired."
The kid's father, Chris Hamlet, reported the incident to the Mesa High School principal, leading to the teacher being placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by Mesa Public Schools. He said: "I was livid because I am a Christian as well. What really tipped it over for me is, he kept telling him no, and the teacher kept persisting."
Chris Hamlet had support from prominent far-right Republicans when he ran for the School Board (12 News)Chris Hamlet is a former Mesa Public School Board candidate and ran for the Mesa Unified School Board in 2022. During his campaign, he stressed his opposition to "indoctrination, hypersexualization, and grooming." He received support from prominent far-right Republicans, including state Sen. Wendy Rogers of Flagstaff and Congressman Paul Gosar of Bullhead City. Despite this support, Chris Hamlet finished sixth in the seven-person field.
The teacher held a pitchfork above students and said 'Hail Satan' (12 News)In a Facebook post from the previous month, Chris Hamlet expressed concerns about what he perceived as "evil" within the Republican party and called for "warriors for Christ!!" He wrote (sic): "Evil is rampant within the Republican party as well; we need WARRIORS for CHRIST!!"
A spokesperson for Mesa Public Schools said in a statement: "Mesa Public Schools administration was notified of the alleged incident at Mesa High School late Wednesday afternoon after school hours. Our Human Resources department began the investigation Thursday morning and placed the teacher on paid administrative leave pending the result of the investigation. The investigation remains ongoing."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
