Wicomico Co. parent upset over comments made in classroom

WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. – Classrooms are expected to be healthy environments for discussion.

Following the Immigration Customs Enforcement involved shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minnesota, teachers across the country opened their classrooms to discourse. But one local parent believes her son’s teacher took the conversation too far.

“I want acknowledgment that something wrong was done, because it was not OK in any way, shape, or form,” Mother Lori McClain said.

Recently, her 6th grade son was sitting in Brian Yates’ ancient history class, when the topic of current events came up, and the video of Renee Good’s encounter with ICE was played.

“They watched the, I believe, POV from the ICE officer’s camera, and then [he] said afterwards that she was killed because she tried to run over the ICE agent, and that ICE agents and law enforcement are only allowed to shoot at the torso, but because she hit him, his arm went up and he hit her in the face instead,” McClain said.

Lori met with principal Jo Branham, and Yates, who defended his actions.

“He compared shooting Renee Good to a hunter shooting a deer, because she’s a moving target,” McClain said.

But were Yates’ comments appropriate for the classroom? Local attorney Tom Maronick Jr. read through the district’s political solicitation in school’s policy.

“I think he did violate the policy,” he said.

In a statement to WMDT, a representative for the district said they are, ‘Aware of a parent’s concerns about how current events are addressed in a school setting.’

Maronick said when educators are teaching those topics, they should weigh both policy and the constitution.

“On one hand, you want educators to have a freedom to be able to talk to children, to young adults, about the ways of the world– what’s happening, to have freedom, to have that political discourse– but on the other hand, you don’t want to offend people with what happens in a classroom,” Maronick said.

McClain said she had a productive conversation with superintendent, Dr. Micah Stauffer about the issue, but she urges parents to have conversations with their children about what they’re learning in school.

“Please know what’s going on in their classroom and what they’re being taught, and making sure that they’re receiving an unbiased education,” she said. “To educators, please, please leave your personal bias out of what you’re teaching our children.”