BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Clay County School District officials defended their decision to reinstate a Lake Asbury Junior High School teacher after briefly suspending him for posting on Facebook that he wished unvaccinated people would “die quickly.”
Evan Gould was named the school’s teacher of the year in 2018.
However, during the school board’s October 2 meeting, several speakers condemned the instructor’s September 9 Facebook post and questioned district officials why he was reinstated after a brief suspension.
“These comments made by someone who is supposed to be a custodian of our children are disturbing and unacceptable,” declared Brittany Sills. “There should be zero tolerance for this type of behavior from individuals commissioned with the education of our children.”
Judith Chappell, who identified herself as a precinct committee woman for the Clay County Republican Executive Committee, vice president of the Federated Republican Women of Clay County and a member of Moms for Liberty and the Trump Club, told school board members she was horrified and heartbroken by Gould’s post.
“The shock and disgust that I felt upon hearing this cannot be overstated,” she said. “It is unfathomable that any adult, let alone an educator entrusted with the lives and the future of our children, could harbor such cruel and hateful thoughts. This is not just a lapse in judgment. It is a chilling betrayal of everything that we stand for as a community.”
School board chair Erin Skipper said she agreed with many of the objections to Gould’s reinstatement that she heard from audience members.
She asked school board attorney Jeremiah Blocker to explain the actions the district took after learning about the teacher’s post.
Blocker said the district investigated the matter and that Superintendent David Broskie temporarily suspended Gould according to district policy.
He said the district then referred the matter to Florida’s Department of Education’s professional practice services, which will conduct its own investigation.
“So, the professional practice services will conduct their own investigation of the conduct of this individual, and they can decide whether they want to withdraw his license or not,” the attorney said. “At this point, it’s in their hands to evaluate whether his career should end as a teacher licensed in Florida.”
