Utah Chemistry Teacher Is 'No Longer Employed' After Viral Video Of Anti-Trump, Pro-Vaccine Speech In Classroom
She might be well-intentioned, but her approach was a little off base.
YouTube A chemistry teacher at Lehi High School in Utah is no longer employed in her school after a student-filmed video of her circulated online.
In the video, the chemistry teacher is vocalizing her anti-Trump political beliefs, in addition to encouraging her students to get vaccinated — albeit it somewhat vigorously.
Video of Utah high school teacher’s anti-Trump, pro-Vaccine speech goes viral.
The video was taken by a student and was reported shared online by conservativea who led anti-mask mandates and vaccines throughout Utah.
"I don’t have to be happy about the fact that there’s kids coming in here with their variants that could possibly get me or my family sick,” she said in the video. “That’s rude, and I’m not going to pretend like it’s not."
In the video, it seems as though a student or a few are responding to the teacher, but it's difficult to decipher exactly what is being said.
At one point, the teacher says Trump "sucks" and says she "hates" him. Shortly after a student can be heard saying, "This is a chemistry class."
The teacher is no longer employed at Lehi High School.
Once the video went viral, the teacher was placed on administrative leave.
Alpine School District officials later confirmed that she is no longer employed — it still remains unknown if her employment was terminated or if she resigned.
The Alpine School District did not approve of the teacher's approach to her speech.
“This behavior is inappropriate, not reflective of the professional conduct and decorum we expect of our teachers, and will not be tolerated,” the statement said.
Only one Utah district has issued mask mandates in schools.
On Tuesday, the Grand County School District Commissioners voted in favor of a mask mandate that requires 30 days of masks for ages K—6.
This could possibly be why the teacher is not wearing a mask in the video and may explain some of her fears around the virus spreading in schools.
However, there may have been a calmer approach to the speech that could have been more appropriate for her students.
Utah's COVID-19 case count is starting to surge.
As of August 17, 2021 approximately 46.2% of Utah’s population is fully vaccinated.
Utah cases are starting to climb. Currently, the Beehive State is at a seven-day average of 1,170 cases.
The teacher's speech may not be the best remedy for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
If someone you know or love is hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine, shame — or lecturing a room of high school students — might not be the best route.
While it’s understandable to be frustrated, it’s crucial to keep calm and listen to what your said loved one has to say.
“There’s a lot of misinformation floating around about the vaccines,” Margaret Day, a family medicine doctor at the University of Missouri Health Care, said. “I try to steer people to legitimate sources and away from information they may read on social media.”
It’s also crucial to not spread the misinformation yourself, and regularly check trusted sources for new information regarding COVID-19.
Even the most well-intentioned people are capable of spreading misinformation, so make sure you practice what you preach.
“It could end in five seconds if people would get vaccinated,” the chemistry teacher said, incorrectly, in the video — the “it” referring to the pandemic.
Perhaps, she was trying to express that the COVID-19 vaccine is effective and life-saving, but there’s no evidence backing up the “five-second” time frame.
Exaggerating the truth to speak with conviction is not an efficient strategy.
Shaming and yelling are not strong methods of communicating vaccine efficacy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created a list of ways to talk to friends and family members about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Asking open-ended questions, listening with sympathy, and asking permission to share information is advised by the CDC.
The world is in a state of distress. Governors across U.S. conservative states are initiating bans on mask and vaccine mandates.
Teachers shouldn’t be so terrified of going to school that they feel that they must take matters in their own hands regarding COVID-19.
People want to protect themselves and their loved ones. Everyone is starting to feel helpless, so feelings of fear and frustration are interfering with people’s jobs.
Izzy Casey is a writer who covers pop culture, news, and entertainment.