Parents and community demand action after Clay County teacher’s social media post; board attorney cites policy, state review underway

Community members pressed the Clay County School Board on social media posts by a Lake Asbury Junior High employee that several speakers said wished harm on unvaccinated people and, by extension, students. The superintendent placed the employee on a short suspension and referred the matter to the Florida Department of Education’s Professional Practice Services for investigation; the board’s legal counsel said the superintendent’s actions followed board policy 1148.01 on disciplinary suspension.

The issue surfaced during the meeting’s public comment period, when Britney Sills, identifying herself as a parent, told the board an educator named “Mr. Evan Gold” posted on a teachers’ Facebook page that he “hopes the unvaccinated die quickly.” Sills said the comment was posted on Sept. 9 and that the teacher had since been reinstated. “There should be 0 tolerance for this type of behavior from individuals commissioned with the…