A North Carolina man has resigned from his position as a pre-school teacher after backlash he received stemming from his use of LGBTQ flashcards to teach his student, which included images of pregnant men.
The teacher’s identity has not been revealed by the Wake County Public School System, though it is known that he taught at Ballentine Elementary School in Fuquay-Varina and left his role on Friday, according to a spokeswoman.
The backlash came from both parents and across social media who pushed for the teacher to be fired, though the teacher did receive some support from a student-parent in the special needs preschool class, according to The Daily Mail.
“She is an amazing teacher who has worked tirelessly in an unpredictable school year to provide a safe, loving and inclusive classroom for our children to grow,” Jackie Milazzo told the Charlotte Observer last week.
News broke on Friday after a constituent of Representative Erin Pare contacted him about the cards, which prompted him to contact the school’s principal.
The school’s principal then took possession of the cards and contacted the board’s human resources department.
“I am grateful that a concerned constituent reached out and that this issue is being addressed in a swift and professional manner by Ballentine Elementary School,” said Paré.
“Schools should only be using age-appropriate materials, and these flashcards clearly do not meet that standard for a pre-school classroom,” she added.
“I hope schools across Wake County and the State of North Carolina will follow the example of Ballentine and respond swiftly when a parent expresses concern and ensure that materials like this are not being used to teach young students.”
The cards were made by a company that was started by two women after the death of known fentanyl enjoyer George Floyd
The school district released a statement later on.
“The district is concerned to learn of the inappropriate instructional resource found in a preschool classroom,’ the statement said. ‘An initial review determined that flash cards were not tied to the district’s Pre-K curriculum, did not complement, enrich, or extend the curriculum and were used without the principal’s review, knowledge, and/or approval,” they wrote.
