Florence teacher speaks out following ‘insensitive’ post from school

Royall Elementary School removed “insensitive” photos from their Facebook page depicting the U.S. Border Patrol and a Hispanic heritage display. (Credit: Royall Elementary School Facebook)

 (WPDE) — A teacher at Royall Elementary School spoke before Florence 1 Schools’ Board of Trustees last week during their regular meeting about the district’s actions following what some called an insensitive post shared three weeks ago by the school on social media.

The post, which has since been deleted, has led to two principals and other employees no longer being employed at the school ,according to Florence 1 Schools (F1S) administrators.

Some were placed on administrative leave. F1S confirms longtime Principal Julie Smith and Vice Principal Marci Gatewood are no longer at the school.

The names of the other employees weren’t released.

In the photos, two of the staff wore t-shirts that read “U.S. Border Patrol” standing in front of a brick wall, which was part of a display to represent the country of Mexico during an event highlighting different countries, as part of Royall’s first week of school celebration.

Alissa Bennett told school board members she was a teacher at Royall Elementary and had been let down by the district’s quick actions regarding the incident.

Bennett made the following statement to school board members:

“My name is Alissa Bennett and I proudly teach at Royall Elementary School , where I’ve worked for the past four years. I have been in elementary education for the past 14 years, teaching in various positions across the United States, from Alaska to South Carolina. Prior to Royall, I worked at Delmae Heights Elementary. As well as, WallaceGreggElementary. So I am no stranger, to thisdistrict or profession. I love teaching. However, never once in deciding on a profession, did I think I would choose a career, that required absolute perfection. As a human, I know that’s not possible. I understand the world is ever-changing. And it hasbecome so easy to upset someone. But, it never crossed my mind that I as an educator,would be exempt from making a mistake. While some,are celebrating a victory on this situation. I want you to know that the top performing school, in all of Florence 1, year after year, decade after the decade. Royal Elementary is badly wounded. We are bleeding in all areas. There is not a single staff member, who has a clear mind and heart. The loss of the five individuals from our Royall family cuts deep. Florence 1 you let us down. You let an entire community down. Acommunity of people, who have stood behind you. Supportedyou,when others didn’t. And worked tirelessly to improve education in this district. You did exactly what the media bullied you into doing, you reacted. You did not take the time to gather the facts. To look at the history. To make an educated decision. You made a decision in haste. Not even 24 hours hadpassed, before you had to make sure, that somebody was held accountable. Whatever happened to the punishment fitting the crime? I am not defending what happened. But the way the situation was handled, was absolutely wrong. There were other courses of action that could’ve been taken. As an educator, I am so tired of being afraid to make a single mistake. I am so tired of being silent, afraid of upsetting someone. Afraidof retribution for speaking. Before I was a teacher, I was a person who believed in standing up for what was right. And fighting against what is absolutely wrong. The decision you hastily made against these five individuals was wrong. And it is going to have a lasting impact on our school, and your district. RoyallElementary is ranked 14 out of 640 for South Carolina elementary schools, with over 60% of our population qualifying for free and reduced lunch. 14!The second best school in our district,ranks156. Where is the public outcry on that? We have been named National Blue Ribbon School, the best public school. As wellas,the best place to work in the Pee Dee, year after year. We have achieved these titles because of our incredible administrators. And our absolutely fabulous teachersand paraprofessionals that we have working for us. You have allowed the true character of RoyallElementary to be damaged by those people who have never even stepped a foot within our hallways. Those people who have never experienced the exceptional leadership. Or the highexpectations that permeate our school. The district and school will suffer.”

Board members don’t address public comments. F1S Superintendent Dr. Richard O’Malley said in a letter right after the incident to parents of students at Royall Elementarythat they were searching for a new principal.

The statement read, “Following up on my letter on Friday, I write this communication both disappointed and humiliated about the event and subsequent pictures posted on the Royall Facebook page, images that have now been shared by media locally and throughout the nation. Each school year we are presented with challenges. As we teach our students, we will take the lessons that we have learned from this event and grow from it as a district. In order to continue to carry out the high standards this school community has come to expect, I have asked Mr. Chris Rogers to remain the acting administrator of Royall Elementary School. The search for a new principal will commence immediately.”

The Royall Elementary School Vice or Assistant Principal, Marci Gatewood, is no longer with the school as a result of the ‘insensitive’ photo. She was Florence 1 School’s 2023 to 2024 Assistant Principal of the Year.

O’Malley further stated that he has appointed Brittany Bennett as Assistant Principal at Royall Elementary School starting August 6.

Bennett, currently the Curriculum Coordinator and Technology Coach at John W. Moore Middle School, has worked in Florence 1 Schools since August 2012.

“I want to, again, assure the Royall Community that the school will continue to provide an exceptional education for all students, with the high expectations and excellence in student achievement that have always been provided by our staff at Royall. I sincerely hope the prompt actions taken illustrate to the entire community how seriously my administration took this event and that we will not tolerate such ignorance in our schools. Again, as a school and district, we are so much better than this. I sincerely hope our community will continue to support our school staff across the district as they carry out our mission of providing educational excellence for ALL students in Florence 1 Schools,” O’Malley said.

 

Royall Elementary issued an apology the day following the post received backlash from parents and Mexican-American community members. The apology reads:

“It is with regret that we acknowledge that a picture that was posted on our Facebook page yesterday showed an insensitive disregard for the current challenges our Hispanic population faces. At Royall, we take great pride in our long-standing tradition of embracing and supporting every student who walks through the doors of our building. Our staff is unanimously committed to celebrating the diversity of our families and ensuring that each and every student at Royall is successful, happy, and recognized for his or her unique culture and abilities. We apologize for our insensitivity but look forward to fostering relationships as we begin a new school year.”

Annette Fling and others in the Mexican-American community said they were disgusted over what happened at Royall Elementary and the poor representation of Mexico.