Vinita Hegwood, a black English teacher at Duncanville High School in Texas, is going to be fired for her profane and racist tweet referring to the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
Hegwood tweeted, “Who the f–k made you dumb duck a– crackers think I give a squat f–k about your opinions about my opinions RE: #Ferguson? Kill yourselves.”
Hegwood was suspended on Monday, though the tweet and her account were deleted soon after the tweet appeared. She had taught at the school for two years. Social media in the town was abuzz with those claiming Hegwood was responding to tweets focused on her; she had tweeted vigorously while Ferguson was in the throes of violence.
At a press conference Monday, the school stated that it took “swift action and exercised the fullest disciplinary action allowed under district policy… Ms. Hegwood was placed on suspension without pay pending discharge. Under state law, a school district’s Board of Trustees ‘fires’ staff members, and the district will pursue that action with the board soon. In the meantime, the teacher has been placed on suspension without pay, pending discharge.”
Officials from the school asserted, “The district wants the community to know that the actions of this one individual does not and should not represent the school district.”
Hegwood described herself on Twitter thus: “Mother. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Teacher. Delta. Football fan. Still defining and fine tuning the awesomeness that is me.”
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