Wisconsin teacher suspended after wishing Rush Limbaugh has a 'quick and painful' death from cancer
A Wisconsin public school teacher has been suspended after tweeting that he hoped Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh would die a painful death following his advanced cancer diagnosis.
Travis Sarandos, an English teacher at the Milwaukee High School of the Arts, had made the comments in response to a user who had wished Limbaugh a speedy recovery and expressed a hope that the radio host would become an advocate for affordable health care, according to CNN.
"Rush Limbaugh absolutely should have to suffer from cancer," Sarandos hit back from his account, which has since been deleted. "It's awesome that he's dying, and hopefully it is as quick as it is painful."
The tweet had sparked outrage on social media after local radio host Mark Belling brought attention to it by posting it on his blog, with many calling for the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) to terminate him from his post.
"What is the school going to do about Travis Sarandos tweeting completely despicable words?" one wrote. "This man should not be influencing our school children and is a danger to society."
"MPS teacher Travis Sarandos wished a painful death to someone he disagrees with politically. Is this acceptable MPS? Is this what you teach our children?" another tweeted.
"Hey Travis Sarandos (@travis_mke) - I hope when you turn your account back on, that this is the first post you read. To wish someone has a "quick & painful" bout of #cancer makes you a horrible person. You should not be anywhere around children. Ever," a third posted.
MPS initially said they were aware of Sarandos' tweet but insisted he was not speaking on behalf of the district or students or other staff. However, hours later, as the backlash increased, it confirmed he had been placed on leave "pending further investigation".
Milwaukee Alderman Robert G. Donovan said in a statement that the teacher's comments "deserve discipline" and called for action. "It would be easy enough to dismiss ill-written, juvenile nonsense like this were it not for his role in teaching our city's young people," he wrote.
"He is supposed to be an example of the inclusive, tolerant, and respectful spirit of the Milwaukee Public schools. He is clearly nothing of the sort. And he did not make his remarks in private. He made them on one of the most public of platforms where any of his students could easily have seen them."
Limbaugh had revealed he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer on air on February 3 and that he was taking time off to undergo treatment.
A day later, Donald Trump conferred onto him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, during the State of the Union Address and thanked him for "decades of tireless devotion to our country".