‘Repugnant’: School Teacher Denies Sending Racist Image of Black Child In Ankle Monitor, Claiming His Phone Was Hacked, But Union Wasn’t Buying It
A California elementary school teacher is under fire after he reportedly shared an image in a group chat depicting a Black child wearing an ankle monitor. John Solomon, a teacher at MacArthur Elementary School in Lakewood, was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into an image he sent to a group chat with 11 other educators back in May. A California Elementary School teacher claims his phone was hacked after sharing racist image (Credit: KTLA Video Screengrab) The image shows a fake toy package titled "My First Ankle Monitor" with a young Black child wearing an ankle bracelet. Solomon sent the image with a message that read, "We need this for our runners!" Teachers familiar with the incident said the message was a derogatory reference to special education students who tend to wander off. One of the group chat members reportedly replied, “That image is troublesome on many levels.” Solomon’s number responded, “Yeah. I see that.” The incident has triggered calls within the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB) union for Solomon to step down from his post as union secretary. The message was sent to a text message chain that included members of the union's bargaining committee. Chicago Judge Exposed for Sharing Racist Meme of Black Child In Ankle Monitor She Meant to Send to Close Friend as a ‘Joke’ But Sent to Another Member of the Bench Instead Solomon later denied sending the text, claiming that someone must have hacked his phone, but a three-person investigative committee appointed by the TALB to look into the matter concluded the claim was "simply not credible." The committee noted that multiple members of the group saved the message sent from Solomon's number and that Solomon continued to text the group without issue. An attorney for Solomon told the Long Beach Post that the accusations he faces are defamatory and without merit, and that Solomon will likely pursue legal action against the union and others for allegedly disseminating false information. While Solomon has stepped down from his position on the TALB's bargaining committee, he has refused to resign as secretary of the union's executive board. According to communications obtained by the Post, Solomon called the investigation "KANGAROO COURT." Solomon's refusal to resign recently triggered a recall campaign that would require a quarter of all TALB members to sign a petition to initiate a special election. The election would require a simple majority to unseat Solomon. Manar Totonji, a science teacher with the Long Beach Unified school district, launched the recall campaign, saying he was in “complete disbelief that something so repugnant and racist” had been sent by “a person that we all elected, who is representing our collective interests to the district and who actually sits in a classroom himself.” After the matter came to light, the school district initially declined to conduct an internal investigation or place Solomon on leave, saying the matter “falls outside the scope of the District’s authority to investigate. For this reason, the District will not pursue the matter." However, local reports confirm Solomon is now on administrative leave and that the district has launched an investigation. In a statement to People, district officials said, "LBUSD does not condone conduct that is disrespectful, discriminatory, or harmful ... This matter is under investigation, and the employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome. Personnel matters are confidential, so we cannot comment on individual employee situations." Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson signed a statement alongside other local elected leaders, saying they “are outraged that a member of the Teachers Association of Long Beach’s Executive Board, John Solomon, shared a racist and ableist message with TALB’s negotiations committee. Such behavior is unacceptable, harmful to Black students and students with disabilities, and unworthy of any leader in education.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?vbrWUEfumaEU
