In a shocking turn of events, Barrington Public Schools in Rhode Island is embroiled in a controversy involving a social studies teacher who publicly rejoiced over the demise of Turning Point USA founder, Charlie Kirk.
The teacher in question, Benjamin Fillo, has been put on paid leave and stripped of his co-presidency of the local teachers union following his inappropriate comments on social media.
According to the Western Journal, Fillo posted a TikTok video on September 10, where he made derogatory remarks about Kirk, stating, "the big man thought he proved how tough he was with his words that he studied ahead of time," and concluded with a chilling, "Bye Charlie!" This incident has led to a surge in Public Records Act requests, putting the school system in a precarious position.
In addition to his controversial TikTok post, Fillo has also been accused of bias in the classroom. A student testified that during a Civil War lesson, Fillo claimed that contemporary Republicans would support slavery. The student also alleged that her paper topic was corrected due to its conservative leanings, while a more liberal student did not receive the same treatment.
This incident has sparked outrage among parents, including Nicole Solas, who has requested Fillo's curriculum spanning 15 years. Solas, appalled by the teacher's behavior, took to social media to voice her concerns and share Fillo's TikTok post. However, the school district responded by stating that obtaining the curriculum would cost a staggering $116,000.
On October 24, the school district attempted to justify this exorbitant figure. As reported by Just the News, the district claimed it would require over 70 hours to "retrieve, review, redact and compile" Fillo's emails dating back to 2016. Additionally, it would take more than 7,000 hours to review the 157 courses he has taught, stored across three different learning management systems. The district offered to reduce the cost to $5,500 if Solas limited her request to the past five years.
Solas' lawyer, James McGlone, has criticized the district's estimates as "prohibitive and facially unreasonable," arguing that they are "inflated by a series of unrealistic assumptions" about Fillo maintaining unique class materials for each separate section of the same course. It appears that the district is going to great lengths to shield one of their own from a concerned parent's scrutiny.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of parental involvement in education. It also underscores the need for schools to prioritize students' wellbeing over protecting staff members who may not be acting in the best interest of their students.
Political commentator Libs of TikTok has created an archive of similar incidents, highlighting the concerning trend of teachers behaving inappropriately. This incident involving Fillo is not an isolated case, but part of a broader issue that needs to be addressed. If school districts genuinely care about their students, they must align with parents and take a firm stand against such behavior.
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