A New Jersey school teacher accused of making a racist comment in a social media post about the case of missing Bridgeton 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez has agreed to resign.
Vineland
teacher Jennifer Bishop was placed on leave in September after she
posted a comment on Facebook questioning why Dulce’s mother wasn’t
watching her daughter more closely.
“They’re Mexican, it’s their culture. They don’t supervise their children like we do,” the comment read.
The
Vineland school district received complaints about Bishop’s post and
she was placed on paid leave through the end of October.
That shifted to unpaid leave in November, said Joseph Rossi, the district’s executive director of personnel.
The
Vineland school board approved a separation agreement Wednesday night,
under which the district agrees not to discipline Bishop and she pledges
not to sue the district. Her resignation is effective Dec. 1.
Bishop
served as a paraprofessional with the district from 2008 through 2015
and returned as a special education teacher in September 2018.
Dulce was reported missing
during a family outing to Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16 and the
search for the kindergartner is continuing. The case has drawn
widespread attention on social media.
Ross said Thursday that the Vineland district works to educate employees about their online conduct.
“We
counsel all hires about the challenges of social media and we hope they
would consider our counsel and act appropriately,” he said.
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