A high school cheerleading captain lost her spot on the squad after she sent out a tweet about immigration.
Caley Godino, a student at Revere High School in Massachusetts, was required to watch the presidential debates as part of her homework for a civics class. Her teacher tweeted about the low voter turnout in the community’s mayoral election earlier this month.
The teenager replied to the tweet, “When only 10 percent of Revere votes for mayor cause the other 90 percent isn’t legal.” Caley told Fox25 that her tweet was not meant as a racial comment, and that she was merely following the lead of Donald Trump, whose views resonate with her.
According to Boston.com, the 2010 census found Revere has a 27 percent immigrant population (double the 1990 figure), with the largest numbers coming from Asia, Europe and Latin America.
Other students complained about Caley’s tweet, and the school stepped in, kicking her off the cheerleading squad for the rest of the season.
Revere Superintendent Dianne Kelly says the school believes in freedom of speech, but insensitive language is unacceptable. “If you’re going to stand up and say something that other people will find offensive- than you need to be prepared to deal with the ramifications of that,” Kelly said.
Caley’s mother told Fox25 that she does not believe her daughter’s punishment was appropriate.
Kelly responded that Caley was disciplined for more than just the tweet, but due to student privacy law, she could not reveal additional information. “I would just say that, not everything you read is a full story of what’s happening,” she said.
The school is reportedly bringing together a group of teachers and students to create a curriculum about diversity and acceptance.
Do you think Caley’s punishment fit the “crime”? Please share your thoughts below.
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