A North Carolina high school teacher says he has been placed on leave after students say he stepped on an American flag as part of a history lesson.
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Francis is scheduled to meet with Cumberland County School District officials on Thursday to discuss the incident.
History teacher Lee Francis was reportedly teaching students about Texas v. Johnson, which ruled that the First Amendment and Bill of Rights makes flag desecration lawful, the Fay Observer reports.
“The rest of the class understood”, added Francis – who also captured national attention after running for public office in 2015 – on Facebook, before making his posts private.
Mr. Francis said he needed to consult with his supervisor before commenting to the media, but he has defended himself on his Facebook page, The Observer reported.
Cumberland County Superintendent Frank Till Jr said they are still looking into the incident before announcing whether Francis will be disciplined.
Taylor, whose child attends the school but was not in the teacher’s classroom, posted a photo of the educator mid-lesson with the American flag crumpled by his feet. In an exclusive interview with ABC11, Dunn said students were shocked when it happened. “I don’t even teach the student of this Sara Taylor person”.
In October, Francis filed to challenge state Rep. Elmer Floyd of Fayetteville in the Democratic primary.
Many responded with outrage, calling for the teacher’s resignation. “This teacher, in his attempt to teach about freedom, dishonored those soldiers’ commitment and sacrifice by cutting, burning and stomping on the flag that represents the country they swore an oath to defend”.
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“I think he’s right, absolutely there could be other ways to teach the subject, but in the same vain the way that I taught it can’t necessarily be wrong”, Francis said. “There are multiple examples of people doing something like that and being protected”.
