A Starkville teacher has officially resigned from her position at Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary following a controversial Facebook post.
The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees met to discuss several personnel matters Wednesday, and accepted the resignation of art teacher Connie Shannon Barber. Barber sparked controversy with a post on Nov. 9, following the election of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States. The comment was posted on a Fox News video and read: “So GO! Now you know how we felt 8 years ago. The White House needs a good Clorox scrubbing.”
There was no comment from the board.
Chris Taylor, president of the Starkville NAACP said the community was happy for Barber’s resignation.
“She did the right thing,” Taylor said.
Taylor and a group of Henderson Ward Stewart parents planned to take action against Barber, possibly by petition, following executive sessions on Nov. 15 and Nov. 17, where the board took no action on the matter. According to Taylor, a group of African-American parents asked that their children be removed from Barber’s class.
“The Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is a welcoming, safe and supportive school system for all of our students,” read a statement from the board following the Nov. 15 session. “We seek to provide a school environment that values diversity. Our district policies are firmly against harassment, bullying, intimidation and discrimination of any kind. Any student or employee experiencing them for any reason should let a teacher, principal or supervisor know immediately.”
According to a list of personnel matters handled during the session, Barber’s resignation was effective Monday.