A Washington Academy (WA) history teacher is on a leave of absence and is not to have any contact with students or staff after he posted comments critical of the new equity training at the school and forwarded racist memes on social media. Following the allegations of racism and bullying at the school this past year, the high school in East Machias has taken a number of steps this fall to combat racism, including having its teachers participate in professional development on race, equality and inclusion and having some teachers take part in a Cultural Competence Institute.
     In December Jonathan McBrine, a history teacher at WA and brother of Headmaster Judson McBrine, posted on his Facebook page: "I want to warn all my friends. If someone is making you do Equity training, that's the new code word used by Marxists brain washers. Layered beneath all that is Marxism, they are using this to keep people from fighting against the Marxist doctrine layered beneath. You will here [sic] them promote doctrine like White Privilege and whiteness, making you read articles shaming people for being white. All this is racists [sic]. Racism exists and it is horrible, gross and needs to be stamped out. But to equate a trait to an entire race, is the definition of racists [sic]."
     Two other posts by McBrine forward racist memes. In one, a Hispanic woman is depicted as employee of the month for Goya, a U.S. Hispanic-owned food company. The caption states: "Boosting sales 1000% while using 0% brain cells."
     Another post shows Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, both women of color, looking at blighted buildings on a trash-filled street, with Rep. Ocasio-Cortez stating, "I love what you've done with the place," and Rep. Omar, who is originally from Somalia, replying, "Thanks, I wanted it to feel more like home."
     Since attention was drawn to these postings, McBrine's Facebook page either has been taken down or is no longer publicly available.
     Rich Olivares, the assistant head of school at WA, responded to an inquiry about what steps the school would be taking concerning the Facebook postings, stating, "WA has been made aware of this teacher's conduct and will take appropriate action in response to it. The teacher is currently on a leave of absence and will not have any contact with students or staff at WA. The school does not believe that it would be appropriate to make any further comment on this employment matter."
     Olivares notes that while WA's general conduct policy does not specifically mention online harassment, inappropriate conduct online would fall within the policy. The section of the policy concerning harassment states, "Washington Academy recognizes the right of each student and employee to perform in an atmosphere which is free of intimidation, hostility and offensiveness while in school, during transportation and during any school activity. In order to ensure such an atmosphere, students and employees of Washington Academy are not to engage in harassment of other students or other employees." The policy states that harassment can include written or verbal comments or threats, offensive jokes, ridicule, slurs or derogatory action or remarks and physical threats or contact. Also, the policy states that the school will function with zero tolerance for harassment.
     Olivares comments, "Washington Academy is fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Most importantly we are committed to bring about positive change in our school and community. Moving forward, Washington Academy will use this unfortunate incident as an opportunity to reinforce our position regarding equity, respect and acceptance of all individuals in our school and community. Washington Academy will continue to work together with our faculty, staff, students and community to ensure that WA is a safe and welcoming place for all who enter our buildings."
     According to the Society for Human Resource Management, which provides advice on issues affecting today's workplaces, employers usually may fire workers for posting racist content on social media. However, they need to ensure that they are following state laws and the National Labor Relations Act and be consistent in any actions taken. Posts that may warrant disciplinary action or termination include hate speech, speech that may create a hostile work environment, threats to employee safety and speech that damages the employers' customers or community at large. Unlike public-sector workplaces, private employers are not bound by the First Amendment's right to free speech.