Amber Parker: Teacher fired for telling students 'don't judge people because they wanna have sex with a 5-year-old'
EL PASO, TEXAS: A Texas teacher was fired after she asked students not to use the word "pedophiles" but instead use "minor attracted persons". Amber Parker, 53, taught English at Franklin High School in El Paso. She was fired from her job after being caught making these remarks in class on tape. The video was shared on social media.
In an 18-second long clip posted on social TikTok, the teacher was heard telling students, "Stop calling them that. You're not allowed to label people like that. Stop it, Diego. We're not gonna call them that." She continued instructing her English students, "We're gonna call them MAPs, minor attracted persons. So don't judge people just because they wanna have sex with a five-year-old."
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San Francisco teacher suspended for using cotton plants to teach class about slavery The school district was informed of the incident and Parker was subsequently suspended. El Paso's Independent School District board of trustees, which is led by superintendent Diana Sayavedra, unanimously voted to fire the teacher. "After a thorough investigation was conducted, on September 6, 2022, during a Special Board Meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a decision to notify a Franklin High School teacher of proposed termination. Any allegation of potential misconduct is investigated thoroughly, and the safety of our students is a top priority," Daily Mail quoted a statement as saying.
It is unclear what exactly the conversation between Parker and her students stemmed from, but students said they were preparing to read 'The Crucible' at the time and a class debate was ongoing. Despite the suspension, some teachers and parents defended Parker, claiming that the conversation was taken out of context and the clip did not reflect Parker's beliefs. Others, however, slammed the teacher and a subsequent investigation led to her suspension. She has now been placed on administrative leave pending termination.
Ryann Ruvalcaba, a junior at Franklin High School told Fox 17, "She [the teacher] was expressing how it was ridiculous how we [society] might not be able to call people pedophiles. That we [society] will probably have to start calling them MAPs because it can be offensive to them [pedophiles]. The class agreed."
Meanwhile, a school board trustee called Daniel Call said he believed Parker was pretending to advocate a position to challenge her students and prepare to read the play, but just a week later, he changed it mind and told KFoxTV, "There were more things that the public may not know about that was included on the closed findings."
The school board had recommended Parker's suspension without pay or end-of-term termination of the 2022 to 2023 probationary employment contract. Parker can appeal the decision.