A video depicting a mock school shooting resulting in the deaths of school staff and children using images taken from employees’ personal Facebook pages has prompted two Prairie Grove administrators to step down from their positions.
The Arkansas district’s superintendent and a middle school principal both announced their leave of absence on Friday during a special board meeting. The video was shown to teachers during a meeting as part of a discussion on school shooting prevention, according to 5NEWS.
“The intent of this video was to create more awareness about the serious responsibilities we all have for all our students,” according to a message to the middle school’s staff. “We certainly did not intend to bring undue emotional surprise to any of you…”
Additionally, those who reportedly watched the video said it was dated December 14, the same day as the Sandy Hook mass shooting.
Superintendent Reba Holmes announced her leave of absence and her plans to retire on June 30, 2023. “I have so many words that I would like to say to you, but at this time I will simply thank you for the wonderful opportunity I have had being part of the Prairie Grove School District for the past 30 years as a teacher, administrator and superintendent,” she wrote in an email to staff.
Shayne Taylor, principal of Prairie Grove Middle School, wrote that stepping away is what’s best for his family at this time. “First, your administrative team offers their sincerest apology,” he wrote to the school’s staff. “Your anger, frustration, and disgust are justified. The video was in poor taste and we offer no excuse for having it shown. We regret not taking a firmer stance against the video leading up to today, and we promise to advocate for you more deeply in the future.”
During the special meeting, dozens of school staff and parents who were aware of the video had the opportunity to share their concerns.
“I feel completely unsupported and completely disrespected,” one sixth-grade teacher at PGMS told 5NEWS.
“I feel like it took two of my greatest fears; my fear of losing a child and my fear of a school shooting, and put them together to terrorize me,” said one mother.
According to 5NEWS, several teachers have plans not to attend school on the 14th as it was the date used in the video.
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