Middle school teacher Nadine Cutler claims she was forced out of her job in Florida after a parent complained about a Black Lives Matter flag she displayed in her classroom.
North Broward Preparatory School, a private school in Coconut Grove, demanded that Cutler take down the BLM flag, which hung next to a rainbow flag. She noted that administrators did not demand that she remove the LGBT-pride emblem.
“I felt that the administration was kind of picking and choosing which marginalized group they felt comfortable supporting,” Cutler told news affiliate Local10.
Cutler said she chose to hang the sign because “it really means acknowledging the systemic racism and inequality,” she contended. “With a predominantly white population, I think systemic racism is a really important topic.”
She said that while she would like her job back, she hopes her students learn a lesson from her forced resignation.
Read More: Alabama governor apologizes to Sarah Collins Rudolph, ‘fifth girl’ in 1963 bombing
Members of the elite campus’ alumni association sent a petition to administrations condemning what happened and demanding that the school affirm the Black Lives Matter movement.
“We, the undersigned alumni, strongly condemn the actions taken by the North Broward Preparatory School (NBPS) administration in response to Middle School Pre-Algebra teacher Nadine Cutler’s display of a Black Lives Matter flag in her classroom,” they wrote. “Addressing systemic racism in the United States should not be seen as a ‘side’ in a ‘debate’ that students should ‘critically analyze’ before ‘develop[ing] their individual positions.’ Affirming that Black life matters in a classroom at a school that supposedly prides itself on its diversity and multiculturalism should not be controversial.”
Read More: White Michigan man seeks forgiveness in attack on Black family’s home
Hundreds of former NBPS pupils signed the petition, which also called for the school to increase its efforts to recruit students of color and to offer scholarships to those who might not otherwise be able to afford tuition due to societal barriers.
The school sent an email to parents stating that Cutler resigned because she was “not a good fit for our community.” They noted that last year, they “created a Cultural Intelligence and Inclusion Team dedicated to the execution of school-wide cultural intelligence and inclusion initiatives.”
Read More: California to develop plan for reparations for Black Americans
“It is vital that this work addresses the challenges that the diverse members of our community face,” their letter stated, “and this work will continue this year and in the years to come.”
North Broward Preparatory School educates students from early childhood through 12th grade.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!