SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio teacher was fired for continuing to wear a Black Lives Matter face mask, even though it was against school policy, according to a CNN report.
Lillian White, an art teacher at the Great Hearts Western Hills public charter school in San Antonio, started wearing the face mask once the school reopened for in-person classes.
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When she was wearing the mask, which read “Black Lives Matter” and Silence is Violence," students were not back on campus, CNN reports.
White told CNN she wore the mask to “demonstrate her support for Black students and faculty,” and to also “advocate for an anti-racism action plan and a more diverse curriculum."
In a span of about two weeks, school officials sent a text message to White, asking her to stop wearing the mask.
“Hey. Can you start bringing a different mask on campus? We don’t discuss the current political climate on campus. Parents will start coming around more now,” Heather Molder, the school’s assistant headmaster, said in a text message to White, as reported by CNN.
The school policy does not allow faculty to display messages on their face masks, according to CNN’s report.
White has worked with the school for more than 10 years and she spent nearly a month discussing the issue at hand with school and district officials.
On Sept. 5, White was told by the school her employment was terminated for her refusal to wear a different mask, CNN reports.
No students or parents saw White wear the mask in-person, but she told CNN she did receive some backlash from parents, who saw photos of her wearing the mask on social media.
To read CNN’s full report, click here.