Take- down of teacher’s display draws criticism

By BRIANNA KWASNIK

STAFF WRITER

A Port Charlotte High School teacher received an outpouring of support, near and far, after she was asked to take down a Black History Month display.

A Tweet posted Wednesday by a PCHS student, showed Alissa Perry, who is a full-time math substitute teacher, fighting back tears as she told students she had to remove the display of Colin Kaepernick from her door before the end of the month. The Tweet had 117,000 likes and 45,000 re-tweets, including from Kaepernick.

Charlotte County School Board Member Cara Reynolds said on Twitter she was disappointed with how the situation was handled. A CCPS spokesperson said the school had received more than a dozen complaints about the display.

As an NFL player, Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and social injustice.

Reynolds apologized to PCHS students and Perry. She said the incident would be reviewed along with CCPS policy soon.

“I believe the entire district including school board members, employees and staff could benefit from cultural competency training. Let’s learn to learn from one another,” Perry told The Sun.

According to Perry, she spoke on the phone with Reynolds Friday, and discussed ideas on moving forward.

Students and teachers have been stopping by Perry’s classroom to offer encouragement and support.