Blaze News original: Secret Service investigated elementary school teacher's reply to assassination post after Trump won election: Superintendent



The superintendent of a Michigan public school district told Blaze News that the United States Secret Service launched an investigation after one of the district's elementary school teachers replied inappropriately to a social media post referencing an assassination — the day after Donald Trump won back the White House earlier this month.

The assassination post — and the teacher's reply to it — got fast attention after Libs of TikTok published a screenshot of the post Tuesday, along with the teacher's apology.

'If the teacher is charged with a felony, she will be dismissed.'

The initial post — which was not from the teacher in question — reads "nothing an assasination [sic] can't take care of."

The reply from Ashley Parker — who teaches elementary art for Farwell Area Schools — reads as follows: "Normally I would never wish this on anyone, but now... and let's hope for a 2fer... We have ALL lost. Just many of us don't realize it yet..."

Parker on Nov. 14 posted an apology on the school district's Facebook page. It reads as follows:

Dear FAS Community,

I am deeply sorry for the comment that I posted the morning after the election. As the parent of a young child and as an educator, I know that my words and actions are closely watched by those around me, and I am fastidious about my behavior at all times because of this fact. I am ashamed that I let my emotions get the better of me in that moment. I am not that person. I understand that my actions may have broken your trust, and for that, I am truly sorry.

Those who know me, know my strength of character, and know the kind of person that I aspire to be in this world. I made an egregious error, one that will not happen again. I take full responsibility for my words and I am willing to reflect on this experience and learn from it, so that I can become a better person. I am committed to upholding the values and standards that I strive to live by.

I hope that you can find it within yourself to forgive me and my actions.

Thank you.

— Ashley Parker, K-5 Art

While the district's Facebook post indicated on Wednesday afternoon that more than 230 comments have come in, only a handful are visible.

Parker's apology also was posted on the district's website last week.

District superintendent speaks out

Steve Scoville, superintendent of Farwell Area Schools, told Blaze News on Wednesday that the issue was brought to the school's attention the day after the election, and he believes the screenshot of the social media exchange is accurate.

"An investigation by the Clare County Sheriff's Department and the United States Secret Service was conducted, and to my knowledge, no charges have been filed," Scoville told Blaze News. "If the teacher is charged with a felony, she will be dismissed. At this point, it doesn't appear that she will be charged with a felony, but I have to wait for the process to run its course. I do believe that all U.S. Citizens are innocent until proven guilty."

Scoville added to Blaze News that he performed a risk assessment — which is used whenever staff, students, or community members make a threat — and that "the staff member in question has no credible plan or means to carry the threat out."

He noted to Blaze News that the risk assessment finding doesn't mean the teacher's post was acceptable: "Neither the original post [nor] Ashley's response were appropriate."

However, Scoville told Blaze News he's hoping to turn this negative into a positive.

"Mrs. Parker has been doing a great job with our students, and it is truly unfortunate that her actions have clouded her otherwise outstanding performance. Dismissing Mrs. Parker would very likely discontinue our K-5 Art Program for the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year, as we had zero highly qualified applicants. The teacher shortage in central Michigan area is very real!" he told Blaze News. "My fear is that dismissal may punish our students more than the individual that made the post. Although dismissal would be the easiest course of action, I am not sure it is the correct or best action for our students."

Scoville added to Blaze News that while the district has taken disciplinary action against Parker, she "has not been terminated. Doing the right thing is not always doing the easy thing." He also told Blaze News on a Wednesday phone call that despite Parker having "threatened [the] candidate I voted for," it "wouldn't matter" if the threat was against another candidate; it's unacceptable either way.

Scoville also told Blaze News that after he made it clear to Parker that the district doesn't condone her comment, he hopes Parker has a "chance to recover and move forward."

He also told Blaze News that Parker has received threats after her comment began getting attention, and her address has been doxxed. In addition, Scoville said, "The amount of hate that has been directed at our staff is incredible and terribly sad. I find it ironic that so many people upset by Mrs. Parker's inappropriate post have chosen to share their own version of hate and direct it at the staff member who answered their [phone] call."

On the subject of hatred, Scoville emphasized the following to Blaze News:

I served with U.S. Army for 18 months in the Balkans. An interesting fact is that Serbians and Albanians have hated each other 1,300 years. (This led up to the Balkans War where neighbor butchered neighbor.) Although when you asked either side, they knew that they were supposed to hate the other side but really couldn't give you a reason. It is my hope and prayer that this nation steps back from the level of hate that we are at. We can agree to disagree with each other. We have to stop looking at the other side as bad people with bad ideas and start looking at them as people with bad ideas (or at least ideas we disagree with).

Anything else?

Blaze News has been covering the ever-growing subject of teachers reacting badly to Trump's presidential win:

  • A teacher allegedly departed from class at Cerritos High School in Southern California because a student was wearing "Make America Great Again" attire.
  • An English teacher from Chino High School in Southern California was placed on administrative leave after freaking out in class over a student wearing a Trump hat.
  • An Advanced Placement world history teacher from Valley View High School in Southern California was placed on administrative leave after going on a profane rant in class against Trump.
  • A woman who reportedly began a monthlong stint as a substitute teacher at Beverly Hills High School on Nov. 4 — the day before the presidential election — said last week she was fired for her "private FB posts criticizing [Make America Great Again] & the behavior of students at their MAGA rally on campus."
  • Outside the Golden State, a Connecticut elementary special-ed teacher threatened Trump voters in a viral video and then tried to explain herself in a tearful, on-camera interview after resigning from her position.

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NYT roasted for absurd take after SCOTUS rules Virginia can purge noncitizens from voting rolls: 'Very rare'



The New York Times on Wednesday issued a rather jaw-dropping X post after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Virginia can purge noncitizens from its voter rolls.

The Times' post noted that the high court was "siding with Republicans who said it was to prevent noncitizens from voting."

'NYT simps for "only a little bit of illegal voting."'

Then came the post's last sentence: "Studies show that noncitizens voting is very rare."

It would appear those final eight words raised the ire — and eyebrows — of more than a few observers.

You know, on the level of that infamous video of a burning building amid a nighttime riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during the summer of 2020 as CNN's video caption read, "Fiery but mostly peaceful protests after police shooting."

Or when ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz earlier this month downplayed the crisis of Venezuelan gangs in Colorado by insisting to Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance that gang takeovers in Aurora have been "limited to a handful of apartment complexes ... a handful of problems."

So according to the Times, is it OK to keep noncitizens on voting rolls ... because they rarely vote anyway?

How are commenters reacting?

As you might expect, many commenters took exception to the "paper of record." Here are a few examples:

  • "Rare doesn't make it legal," one commenter stated.
  • "'Studies show.' Glad you can at least acknowledge that the number is not zero," another user noted. "Just an FYI, these people in this case self-identified as non-citizens. They cannot legally vote anyway. So removing them shouldn't be an issue."
  • "It doesn’t matter what your studies show," another commenter wrote. "There is no reason for non-citizens to be on any voting roll."
  • "How about just remove any chance of it at all?" another user asked. "NYT simps for 'only a little bit of illegal voting.'"
  • "Rare? Since when is rare acceptable? Have you not noticed what's going on at the Washington Post?" another commenter inquired. "Your 15 minutes of bubble liberal politics have come to an end."
  • "This is why you are trash," another user declared.
  • "Studies show that a particular crime is rare. Accordingly, laws against it should not be enacted nor enforced," another commenter wondered incredulously. "Is that how this works now?"

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Former NBC exec deletes post saying Barron Trump is 'fair game now' that he's 18: 'I don't wish physical harm on anyone'



A former NBC executive deleted a social media post saying Barron Trump — son of former President Donald Trump — is "fair game now" that he turned 18 years old, Fox News reported.

Mike Sington, a retired NBCUniversal senior executive, marked Barron Trump's birthday Wednesday with a photo of Barron and his father, along with the following message: "Barron Trump turns 18 today. He's fair game now," the cable network said.

— (@)

After a flurry of outrage, Sington deleted the post from X and told Newsweek, "I posted he was 'fair game' now, meaning, as an adult, he's 'fair game' for criticism from the press. Someone pointed out to me 'fair game' could mean fair game to be harmed. I don't wish physical harm on anyone, so I took it down. I listen to the comments and criticism I receive."

Fox News said the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It wasn't the first shot taken at Barron Trump:

  • Shortly after Donald Trump's 2016 election victory, Rosie O'Donnell was criticized after tweeting, "Barron Trump Autistic? If so — what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic." O'Donnell claimed it wasn't a slight against Barron.
  • Actor Peter Fonda wrote in a since-deleted 2018 tweet that "we should rip Barron Trump from his mother's arms and put him in a cage with pedophiles and see if mother will stand up against the giant a**hole she is married to." Fonda later apologized.
  • Fox News said former "Saturday Night Live" writer Katie Rich was suspended from the show in 2018 for a post saying Barron would be the country's "first homeschool shooter."
  • Ohio Democrats in 2019 used the Special Olympics to mock Barron, with one saying he may "need" the organization one day.
  • On Father's Day 2020, Food Network host John Henson noted in a since-deleted tweet: "I hope Barron gets to spend today with whoever his dad is." Mika Brzezinski appeared to suggest something similar during a 2019 episode of MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

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NBA star Kyrie Irving suspended without pay over failure to 'say he has no antisemitic beliefs'; he's now 'unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets'



Superstar NBA player Kyrie Irving was suspended for at least five games without pay Thursday by his team, the Brooklyn Nets, for failure to "unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs," ESPN reported.

What's the background?

Irving posted a tweet last week that linked to the Amazon page of a movie titled "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America," which is based on a 2015 book by the same name, the sports network reported in an earlier story.

ESPN said the movie contains "antisemitic tropes."

On Saturday night after a loss to the Indiana Pacers, Irving was asked why his tweet is still active.

"I'm not here to argue over a person or a culture or a religion and what they believe," Irving said, according to ESPN. "Nah, this is what's here. It's on a public platform. Did I do anything illegal? Did I hurt anybody? Did I harm anybody? Am I going out and saying that I hate one specific group of people? ... So I'm not going to stand down on anything that I believe in. I'm only going to get stronger, because I'm not alone. I have a whole army around me."

\u201cKyrie Irving addresses the backlash to his recent social media posts after Saturday night's game in Brooklyn.\u201d
— YES Network (@YES Network) 1667098549

Media full-court press

On Thursday of this week, Irving refused to apologize during a post-practice media session, the sports network reported, and said only that he meant no harm. Irving said some things in the movie are untrue, "but he didn't say he shouldn't have posted a link to it," ESPN wrote.

"I'm not the one who made the documentary," Irving said, according to the sports network.

ESPN added that Irving "didn't say no" when he was asked if he holds anti-Semitic beliefs.

"I cannot be anti-Semitic if I know where I come from," he said, according to the sports network.

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt reacted by writing that "the answer to the question 'Do you have any antisemitic beliefs' is always 'NO' without equivocation. We took @KyrieIrving at his word when he said he took responsibility, but today he did not make good on that promise. Kyrie clearly has a lot of work to do," ESPN said.

The sports network added that during the press conference Irving "quickly grew defensive" and asked reporters "why they weren't asking questions about the history of black people in America, saying 300 million of his ancestors are buried in the country."

"I'm just proud of my heritage and what we've been through, and the fact that this has pinned me against the Jewish community and I'm here answering questions of whether or not I'm sorry or not about something I didn't create and was something I shared, and I'm telling everybody I'm taking responsibility, then that's where I sit," Irving said, according to ESPN.

Irving also was asked specifically about his beliefs regarding the Holocaust, the sports network said.

"Those falsehoods are unfortunate," he replied in reference to the movie, ESPN said. "And it's not that I don't believe in the Holocaust. I never said that. Never, ever have said it. It's not come out of my mouth. I never tweeted it. I never liked anything like it. So the Holocaust in itself is an event that means something to a large group of people that suffered something that could have been avoided."

Kyrie Irving: I can dismiss any label you put on me | SportsCenter youtu.be

Suspension

After Irving's Thursday press conference, the Nets suspended him.

"We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity — but failed — to clarify," the Nets said in a statement, according to ESPN. "Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team. Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets."

The Nets said Irving's suspension would last "until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct," the sports network said. The Nets' statement said the organization "made repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand the harm and danger of his words and actions"

Despite Irving and the Nets announcing Wednesday that each, in conjunction with the ADL, would donate $500,000 to anti-hate causes, ESPN reported that following Irving's suspension, Greenblatt tweeted that "we were optimistic but after watching the debacle of a press conference, it's clear that Kyrie feels no accountability for his actions. @ADL cannot in good conscience accept his donation."

Apology

About four hours after his suspension, the sports network said Irving issued an apology on Instagram: "To all Jewish families and communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish brothers and sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against anti-Semitism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all."

Irving also said the movie "contained some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish race/religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions," ESPN said.

Anything else?

Irving was embroiled in controversy last season, too, when he was barred from Nets home games for not receiving the COVID-19 shot in defiance of New York City's vaccine mandate. Yet Irving still was allowed to enter the Nets' arena as a spectator and sit courtside, which only exacerbated the bad optics.

Finally, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced in March an exemption from NYC's vaccine mandate for city-based athletes and performers, and Irving was back playing home games.

18-year-old Florida man arrested over post showing him with rifle, handgun, tactical-style vest — and asking Siri for 'directions to the nearest school'



An 18-year-old Florida man was arrested over a social media post showing him with a rifle, handgun, and tactical-style vest along with a caption reading, “Hey Siri, directions to the nearest school."

What are the details?

After receiving a tip about the post, detectives arrested Corey Anderson at his home near Tampa on Sunday, WKMG-TV reported, adding that he was charged with a written or electronic threat to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism.

“This type of threat is unacceptable," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "This man intentionally instilled fear into our community as a sick joke, but be warned, this is no laughing matter."

Detectives determined the handgun and rifle in question are airsoft guns.

Anderson was booked into jail and released on bond, WKMG said, citing jail records.

“We will do everything within our power to apprehend, and pursue charges on those who make school-based threats," Chronister added in his statement. "Protecting students is our greatest priority. We take school threats very seriously, if you see something suspicious, please contact us immediately.”

'We are getting threats'

A woman who identified herself as Anderson's mother was reached at his home and told WFLA-TV that reports in the media haven't been accurate, but she wouldn't discuss details.

She also said her family has been receiving threats.

“Beyond that there is no comment," she told WFLA. "We are getting threats at this time; it’s very scary, very scary." She added to the station that her family has hired an attorney.

Lutz teen threatens school shooting in chilling post, deputies sayyoutu.be

Anything else?

Also in Florida over the weekend, a 10-year-old boy was arrested after allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting.

The Lee County sheriff’s office said it learned on Saturday of a threatening text message sent by a fifth-grade student at Patriot Elementary School in Cape Coral.

The School Threat Enforcement Team was immediately notified and began analytical research, the sheriff's office said, adding that the Youth Services Criminal Investigations Division assumed the case.

Detectives interviewed the suspect and determined there was probable cause for his arrest, authorities said, adding that the boy was charged with making a written threat to conduct a mass shooting.