Last week, in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s stunning victory, two male 10th grade students at Marshall High School in San Antonio, Texas performed a skit entitled “The Assassination of Donald Trump.” According to parents whose child was in the classroom as the skit was performed, one of the boys made a gunshot sound with his cellphone as the other student, who was portraying Mr. Trump, fell to the ground simulating his death.
Administration contends that “appropriate action” has been taken against those involved, although no reported suspensions have been levied out.
As reported by My San Antonio News, parents Harold and Melinda Bean explained that “students were required to submit descriptions of their English class presentations beforehand to be approved by their teacher,” but the two students who performed the assassination skit changed their plans without the teacher’s knowledge.
The teacher—who reportedly apologized for her involvement on Monday—and school administration claim that the skit was stopped and condemned within the classroom. Northside Independent School District spokesperson Barry Perez says “appropriate action” has been taken to reprimand the two students and the teacher.
But parents aren’t satisfied, and are calling for the two students to be suspended and for the teacher to face some sort of punishment.
“Honestly I have run out of words to describe how angry I am and how shocked I am that they’re still in school today,” said Melinda Bean.
“Younger children using their hands to simulate guns on the playground have been suspended, she said, and this was far worse,” notes My San Antonio News.
“I don’t understand how the teacher can repeat an apology and be right there back at work on Monday morning,” he stated. “Though we understand she is apologetic, it does not make the situation right.
“Pardon my language but I think that it’s a bunch of B.S. if they’re going to tell you the kids were stopped,” added Harold Bean.
Via a statement addressing the controversy, Superintendent Dr. Brian T. Woods claims that the incident was addressed “appropriately by the teacher and campus administration.”
Last week, an English teacher at Marshall HS instructed her students to create and perform a brief in-class skit following their study of Shakespeare. The teacher asked for students to submit their scripts for her preview and approval.
Two students, after their original script had been submitted, changed their skit to include a mock assassination of the President-Elect. The teacher had no idea this change had occurred until the students began to perform this in the classroom.
The teacher stopped the student skit immediately when it became apparent that it was inappropriate.
I want to be clear: NISD does not condone the action of these students or anyone else who would threaten violence. The incident was addressed immediately and appropriately by the teacher and campus administration.
During the 2016 election, a man with a gun at a Trump rally reportedly attempted to assassinate Mr. Trump before officers stopped him. Following the election, assassination threats against the president-elect have flooded social media.