Karen Fitzgibbons: Texas Teacher Who Proposed Segregation Has Been Fired

Karen Fitzgibbons, a fourth grade teacher, has been removed from her position after she posted a racist opinion about the recent McKinney pool party incident. Her angry rant outright stated she wanted to bring segregation back.

To say that Karen Fitzgibbons has gotten herself into hot water is an understatement. The very vocal teacher from Texas went on a disgusting rant via Facebook on June 9 about wanting segregation to be brought back, and now has been fired. On June 11, her former school district relieved Karen of her duties.

Karen was a fourth grade teacher at Bennett Elementary, when she went on a Facebook rant about the recent pool party incident in McKinney where an officer violently slammed a black teen to the ground. Her very angry opinion has since gone viral.

Karen’s original post read as follows:

“This makes me ANGRY! This officer should not have to resign. I’m going to just go ahead and say it…the blacks are the ones causing the problems and this “racial tension.” I guess that’s what happens when you flunk out of school and have no education. I’m sure their parents are just as guilty for not knowing what their kids were doing; or knew it and didn’t care. I’m almost to the point of wanting them all segregated on one side of town so they can hurt each other and leave the innocent people alone. Maybe the 50s and 60s were really on to something. Now, let the bashing of my true and honest opinion begin…GO! #imnotreacist #imsickofthemcausingtrouble #itwasagatedcommunity”

Karen then issued an apology on June 11 after her post got widespread attention:

“First, to anyone, of any race, that I have offended, I sincerely apologize. That was not my intent. I let my emotions get the best of me, and instead of taking a deep breath, vented in an inappropriate way. I am truly sorry. I don’t want my comments to reflect poorly on my district or campus, as the words came from me, not them. Frenship and Bennett are amazing places full of people (teachers, administrators, custodial staff, cafeteria staff, parents, and others) who love, care about, and go the extra mile for all students, regardless of race. As a teacher and lifelong educator, I strive to do the same. I always tell my students that once they are my student, they will always be my child. As an educator, I do teach my students about treating all people fairly and with dignity. I regret that my words are now calling that into question. I can, and will, use this situation as a real world example of how emotions and words can cause hurt to others. I am ashamed of my post. As I look back and reflect, I see how hurtful those words sounded. It is my hope that my sincere apology will be accepted.”

By then, it was too late. Karen’s actions led to Frenship ISD to firing her. The school issued the following statement on the same day:

“On Wednesday afternoon, Frenship Independent School District was made aware of a statement posted on a Facebook page by a Frenship ISD employee earlier this week. Frenship ISD is deeply disappointed in the thoughtlessness conveyed by this employee’s post. We find these statements to be extremely offensive, insensitive, and disrespectful to our Frenship community and citizens everywhere. These comments in no way represent the educational environment we have created for our students. The employee whose account is responsible for the post will be relieved of her teaching duties at Frenship ISD. We hold our employees responsible for their public conduct even when they are not on active duty as district employees. Employees are held to the same professional standards in their public use of electronic media as they are for any other public conduct. This recent conduct was unacceptable.

Frenship ISD hopes communities, parents and students understand that these remarks do not reflect the views of our district, teachers and staff.”

HollywoodLifers — are you surprised the teacher has been fired? Let us know your thoughts below!

— Brittany King
Follow @brrriitttnnii