Mesa Public Schools said it is looking into the incident.
On Tuesday, the teacher told 12News they dressed up that way for Halloween spirit week. The teacher explained that the theme was “dynamic duos” and that a teacher next door dressed as an angel.
“Participating in spirit weeks is a way for me to connect with my students and make class fun,” the teacher said. “It’s honestly nothing more than that.”
However, Hamlet said he felt insulted by the costume due to his religious beliefs.
“I said, ‘Don’t do that to me,’ and I pushed [the pitchfork] away maybe three or four times, but he kept doing it,” Hamlet said.
Nathaniel then told his father, Chris Hamlet, a former Mesa school board candidate, about what happened. Chris said he reported it to the school’s principal.
“I was really upset because I’m a Christian too,” Chris Hamlet said. “The main issue for me is, the teacher kept doing it even when my son asked him to stop.”
The next day, Nathaniel said the teacher was not in class and hasn’t returned since. Mesa Public Schools said the teacher is now on paid administrative leave.
A spokesperson for Mesa Public Schools gave 12News a statement on the incident:
“Mesa Public Schools administration was notified of the alleged incident late Wednesday afternoon. Our Human Resources department started investigating Thursday morning and put the teacher on paid leave. The investigation is still ongoing.”
Some parents picking up their kids from school on Monday told 12News that while they don’t agree with what the teacher did, they feel that firing him might be too extreme.
My Ех Ruinеd My Dаy аt Wоrk, I Вrilliаntly Тооk Rеvеngе оn Нim thе Sаmе Dаy — Stоry оf thе Dаy
So, my boyfriend kicked me out after I caught him with another woman right on our kitchen table. The very next day, he showed up at my job with her! (I’m a waitress)
Me: “Colin, haven’t you hurt me enough already? Why are you here?”
Him: “Well, you can’t serve me at home anymore, so you’ll serve me here.”
His girl: “Hurry up and get me a menu, or you’re gonna lose more than just your house — you’ll lose this job too!”
I couldn’t afford to lose my job, so I had to serve them… it was a TOTAL DISASTER! They were purposely making a mess… He dropped his fork so I would kneel in front of him. At one point, his new girl even “accidentally” spilled her soup on me! They were laughing their heads off while I was crying under the bar counter.
But then, our chef saw me, wiped my tears, and told me he had this brilliant plan to get back at them. It was pretty simple but so genius! I immediately began to put it into action.
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