Teacher put on leave after showing anti-Confederate flag message in class, reports say

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A Georgia high school teacher has been placed on administrative leave as school administrators investigate a message projected onto a whiteboard during class at Hephzibah High School, according to multiple reports.

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Melissa Fuller told WRDW-TV that her daughter's teacher projected a graphic Monday of a Confederate flag along with words describing it as, "A sticker you put on the back of your pickup truck to announce that you intend to marry your sister."

"Think of it like a white trash 'Save the Date' card," the text continued.

The Augusta Chronicle reported the message was used as an example of a story within a story. Fuller told WRDW-TV that her daughter sent her a picture of the message because she found it offensive. Fuller said her daughter previously got an in-house suspension for wearing a Confederate flag belt buckle to school.

"If she can't wear that belt buckle, then why is it appropriate to make an assignment out of it?" Fuller told WRDW-TV.

Officials with the Richmond County School System told the Chronicle the teacher who put up the message has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending an administrative review.

"The Richmond County School System is committed to creating a diverse, equitable learning environment for students," school system officials said in a statement obtained by the Chronicle. "The language used in the example was unacceptable and has no place in our classrooms."

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