Windsor High School Principal Tiffany Riley has been suspended this week in response to comments she made about the Black Lives Matter movement. Riley sparked controversy in the community when she criticized Black Lives Matter and advocated on behalf of law enforcement and equity for all. The Mount Ascutney School District called Riley’s remarks trained by “ignorance, prejudice, and lack of judgment.”

According to a report by the College Fix, a high school principal in the state of Vermont was placed on administrative leave this week in response to comments she made about the Black Lives Matter movement.

In her remarks, Riley stated that she refuses to support political violence. She went on to claim that she still supports her local law enforcement officers.

I firmly believe that Black Lives Matter, but I DO NOT agree with the coercive measures taken to get to this point across; some of which are falsified in an attempt to prove a point. While I want to get behind BLM, I do not think people should be made to feel they have to choose black race over human race. While I understand the urgency to feel compelled to advocate for black lives, what about our fellow law enforcement? What about all others who advocate for and demand equity for all? Just because I don’t walk around with a BLM sign should not mean I am a racist.

The Mount Ascutney School District Board immediately released a statement in which it condemned Riley’s remarks.

In the statement, the board argued that Riley’s statements were tainted by “ignorance, prejudice, and lack of judgment” and that they were “utterly contrary to the values” of the “school board and district.”

District Superintendent David Baker argued that Riley’s comments were “outright racist.”

“I felt like a post like that, with those kinds of racial overtones and what I define as pretty much outright racist in my values system, she would have never posted that,” Baker said.

Although Riley was only suspended from her position this week, Elizabeth Burrows, the chair of the local school board, announced that it is unlikely that Riley will return to her position.

“We do not intend to hire her back […] we wanted to make sure we acted as quickly as we possibly could,” Burrows said.