Michigan teacher fired after she ‘joked’ about shooting students dressed as turkeys for Thanksgiving photo - Detroit Metro Times

Hartland Teacher Fired After Mocking Students Dressed as Turkeys on Camera

A teacher at a Michigan school has been fired after sending a disturbing photo of students dressed as turkeys to colleagues, complete with an image of a hunter and the message "which one should we pick off first." The incident occurred during Thanksgiving week and was only discovered when staff members shared the photo with administrators.

According to district officials, the teacher posed students in front of an interactive board displaying the image of a hunter and texted it to colleagues as a joke. However, the decision to send such a message has been widely criticized as thoughtless and despicable.

District officials have stated that they treated the matter as a personnel issue and only notified parents after being prompted by staff members. The investigation is now closed, but the district said any further actions will be handled in conjunction with law enforcement and the Livingston County Prosecutor's office.

In their letter to parents, district administrators claimed that no child was ever in danger during the incident and expressed confidence that the school had taken all necessary steps to address the situation. However, critics argue that such a message can still have a profound impact on young students, who may feel vulnerable or targeted by the teacher's actions.

This case highlights the need for schools to take seriously incidents involving bullying and harassment, even if they occur in the workplace rather than in classrooms. The district's decision to delay informing parents about the incident has raised questions about transparency and accountability, particularly given the sensitive nature of the situation.

Omg this is soooo messed up ! I mean I get that it was meant as a joke but come on, who plays with fire like that?! Sending out a pic of kids dressed up as turkeys with a hunter image and "pick off first" message is literally the last thing you want to do. It's like, super insensitive & creepy. I can just imagine how scared those little kids must've felt . And yikes, not telling parents right away? That's just another level of awful. Schools gotta take these kinds of incidents super seriously & make sure everyone knows what's up .

can't believe this happened at a school that's supposed to be teaching kids values ... firing the teacher is definitely not enough, they should've taken more action against him ASAP . it's just so thoughtless and unnecessary - who does that? . i mean, imagine if one of those students had been in a position to take revenge or felt really humiliated because of what happened . the fact that parents weren't notified right away is super concerning too... it feels like they were trying to sweep it under the rug . schools need to be way more proactive about addressing bullying and harassment, and make sure everyone knows that such behavior won't be tolerated .

It's absolutely appalling that this teacher thought it was okay to send a photo like that to colleagues as a "joke" . I mean, can you imagine how those students felt when they found out what their teacher had done? It's not just about the students themselves, but also about the message the teacher is sending - that it's okay to mock and degrade others, especially when they're most vulnerable.

I'm all for a good laugh, but this wasn't funny at all . And what really gets my goat is that the district had to close the investigation because staff members were too afraid to come forward . That just shows how much power these teachers have over their students and how little accountability there is in some of these situations.

It's also interesting how the district claimed that no child was ever in danger, but critics are saying otherwise . I think it's time for schools to take these incidents way more seriously and to prioritize the well-being and safety of their students above all else .

I'm literally shook by this news I mean, who sends a picture of hunters with captions like that around Thanksgiving? It's just so... uncalled for . I think the teacher needs to take some time off (or maybe even some self-reflection) because their joke was way out of line . And the fact that they didn't even tell parents right away is super sketchy . I get that it's a workplace thing, but still... kids are innocent and deserve to be protected from this kind of crap . Schools need to take these things seriously and make sure everyone knows what's going on . Transparency and accountability, y'all!

this is so messed up a teacher gets fired for doing something stupid like that but it could've been hurtful to kids who might be struggling with body image or being targeted in some way... schools gotta do better on addressing bullying and harassment

"Believe you can and you're halfway there." They gotta think twice before posting that kind of photo on camera, you know? It's not funny, it's hurtful & shows a serious lack of respect for kids' feelings. Schools need to take these things super seriously & make sure everyone is held accountable for their actions. Transparency & accountability are key in situations like this!

oh my god this is soooo not okay! i cant even imagine how those kids felt seeing that on camera why would someone think its funny to make fun of kids who are already feeling vulnerable during thanksgiving the teacher should be ashamed of themselves for being so thoughtless and hurtful i hope the students affected by this incident get the support they need from their school and community

OMG, this is so messed up !! A teacher making fun of students dressing up as turkeys during Thanksgiving week? That's just low . And to make it worse, he was being all flirtatious with a hunter image and stuff ... I mean, what kind of twisted joke is that?! The fact that the school only notified parents after staff members complained is like, super shady . I don't think that's enough accountability for something so hurtful and bullying-like.

We should totally be looking at how schools can prevent this kind of thing from happening in the first place, instead of just covering it up . And yeah, even if it didn't happen in class, students are still students and they deserve to feel safe and supported at school. This whole incident is a big red flag for me, and I hope that schools take some serious steps to address this kind of behavior .

omg this is so messed up how could someone think its funny to mock kids in costume? i feel bad for those students who have to deal with this kind of stuff. schools gotta be more careful like what they do to ppl behind the scenes. and why didnt the parents get notified sooner? shouldve been handled way differently...

OMG, I AM FURIOUS ABOUT THIS TEACHER'S ACTION!!! how could they be so thoughtless?! sending a pic of hunters with kids dressed up as turkeys is just cruel!! these kids are already feeling anxious and unsure during THANKSGIVING WEEK, not to mention they're in SCHOOL! the fact that the admin didn't notify parents ASAP is just GROSS. schools gotta step up their game when it comes to bullying and harassment, especially if they happen among staff members too

teacher should get fired for life [savage memes everywhere]

omg can u even imagine being a kid and seeing that pic sent by a teacher? its so messed up how they thought it was funny lol theyre trying to downplay it but honestly kids need protection from ppl in positions of power like teachers... schools should def do better than just covering it up

This teacher's behavior is just so messed up! I mean, who sends a photo of kids dressed as turkeys with a hunter in it? It's not even funny, it's creepy and hurtful. I'm all for a good joke, but this was just low. The fact that they thought it was okay to share it with colleagues is wild to me. And the worst part is that some parents are downplaying the situation by saying no one was in danger... like that changes anything! Kids feel vulnerable and targeted when adults make fun of them, and schools need to take this stuff seriously. Can't we all just be a little more considerate?

I'm so appalled by this teacher's actions . Sending a photo like that to colleagues is not just unprofessional, it's also super hurtful to those kids who were dressed up as turkeys. Can you imagine how they felt seeing their own photo in a picture with a hunter? It's not funny at all . I think the school should've been more transparent about what happened and informed parents right away, especially during Thanksgiving week when emotions run high. This is a clear case of bullying in disguise . Schools need to take these incidents seriously and make sure everyone feels safe and respected . The fact that this teacher got away with it without any consequences is really concerning . We need to hold people accountable for their actions, especially when they're supposed to be role models .

I'm so grossed out by this teacher's actions! Sending a photo with a hunter and kids dressed as turkeys? It's like he was just waiting for an excuse to be weird and creepy on camera . And the fact that it was during Thanksgiving week when everyone's already feeling super thankful, makes it even more insensitive . I don't think any parent wants their kid to feel targeted or belittled by a teacher, especially not over something like dressing up for a holiday party . Schools need to take these kinds of incidents super seriously and make sure teachers know what's okay and what's not . The fact that they didn't even tell parents about it right away is pretty shady too .