Two Oregon middle-school guidance counselors, apparently infuriated that their school district banned LGBT Pride and Black Lives Matters flags in classrooms, posted a TikTok video in which they danced around while flashing their middle fingers and mouthing “F*** you.”
After an Oregon school banned Pride & BLM flags, these 2 middle school counselors responded with this TikTok.
They have since been placed on leave. pic.twitter.com/TW5bSmeEaw
— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) March 21, 2022
The counselors, Annie Bynum and Erin Dobias, worked in the Newberg School District, The Daily Beast reported, adding that last Friday, Newberg School District officials wrote on Mountain View’s Facebook page that the pair had been suspended. The statement read:
The district has been made aware of a TikTok video by staff members. As the first step of our investigative process, the staff members have been put on administrative leave. We are not able to comment any further about personnel matters.
On a Facebook account titled Save Our Schools Newberg, social media users slammed the counselors with comments like these:
So, if kids and families see this that do not agree with the flags inside the school, which is the district rule, these counselors are basically singing to them, ‘f*** you and your dog and your sister…..’ How does that make kids and families feel safe and welcome?
Wait…these are school counselors?! Exactly who people want telling their children how to navigate emotions and behaviors. Class act.
This is why my kids will never go back to Newberg Public Schools.
The Daily Beast noted that Mountain View Middle School Secretary Vicki Klein defended the counselors, calling them “dedicated, compassionate, fun and engaged in everything that is happening on a daily basis here at MVMS,” and adding, “The TikTok you’re all commenting about was made in response to a viewer who slammed them on the use of the sign you see in the background. This was NOT intended against our school board, our students or our parents AT ALL. …I assure you they are very good humans.”
Last September, the Newberg School board issued a policy that stated, “No district employee shall, while acting within the scope of their employment, either during school hours, or inside their physical area of responsibility, (such as a classroom, meeting room, desk area) hang, post, direct, or otherwise display (hereafter “display”) any posters, signs, flags, banners pictures or other digital or physical image that depicts support or opposition relating to a political, quasi-political or controversial topic.
BREAKING: The Newberg school board has adopted official policy to ban "political, quasi-political, or controversial" topics in schools. Vote was 4-3 with the conservative majority prevailing.
Yea: Brown, Shannon, Powell, DeHart.
Nay: Piros, Peña, Penner pic.twitter.com/JFqG4B7JMb— Ryan Clarke (@RyanTClarke) September 29, 2021
Newberg School Board Vice-Chair Brian stated, “We don’t pay our teachers to push their political views on our students, that is not their place. Their place is to teach the approved curriculum, and that is all this policy does is ensure that that is happening in our schools.”