Mesa Public Schools said it is looking into the incident.
On Tuesday, the teacher told 12News they dressed up that way for Halloween spirit week. The teacher explained that the theme was “dynamic duos” and that a teacher next door dressed as an angel.
“Participating in spirit weeks is a way for me to connect with my students and make class fun,” the teacher said. “It’s honestly nothing more than that.”
However, Hamlet said he felt insulted by the costume due to his religious beliefs.
“I said, ‘Don’t do that to me,’ and I pushed [the pitchfork] away maybe three or four times, but he kept doing it,” Hamlet said.
Nathaniel then told his father, Chris Hamlet, a former Mesa school board candidate, about what happened. Chris said he reported it to the school’s principal.
“I was really upset because I’m a Christian too,” Chris Hamlet said. “The main issue for me is, the teacher kept doing it even when my son asked him to stop.”
The next day, Nathaniel said the teacher was not in class and hasn’t returned since. Mesa Public Schools said the teacher is now on paid administrative leave.
A spokesperson for Mesa Public Schools gave 12News a statement on the incident:
“Mesa Public Schools administration was notified of the alleged incident late Wednesday afternoon. Our Human Resources department started investigating Thursday morning and put the teacher on paid leave. The investigation is still ongoing.”
Some parents picking up their kids from school on Monday told 12News that while they don’t agree with what the teacher did, they feel that firing him might be too extreme.
GEORGE CLOONEY TRAGIC STORY!
George Clooney discussed the tragic on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the production of “Rust” on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, connecting it with the death of his friend Brandon Lee in 1993.
Lee died from an accidental shooting on the set of “The Crow.” Reflecting on these incidents, Clooney emphasized the strict safety protocols he follows, including checking guns before each use.
He criticized the inexperience of the “Rust” armorer and highlighted the difficulties in distinguishing dummy bullets from live rounds.
Clooney called these incidents a combination of preventable mistakes and tragedies. He advocated for greater safety measures on sets, while Eliza Hutton and Alec Baldwin also urged changes to enhance on-set safety following these events.
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