Education
Teacher Allegedly Misidentified Student For A Covington Boy At DC Confrontation. Dad Says Harassment Followed
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A Colorado middle school teacher allegedly claimed a random student was part of the “Hitler Youth,” mistaking him for one of the Covington Catholic High School boys caught in the encounter with American Indian activist Nathan Phillips.
Michelle Grissom, a social studies teacher in Colorado, reportedly named and posted a picture of Covington Catholic student Jay Jackson as one of the boys in Washington, D.C., who were caught in a viral video that made it seem like they were mocking Phillips. Complete footage shows Phillips approached the group of boys wearing Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats.
“His name is Jay Jackson,” Grissom allegedly wrote, according to Twitter screenshots shared in the Douglas County School District Watch Facebook page. “His twitter account is closed to non followers so we won’t interfere with his training #HitlerYouth.”
John Jackson, the dad, defended his son in a thread of tweets Saturday and Sunday. He said Jay, his son, was in Ohio playing basketball Saturday and cited The Cincinnati Enquirer’s coverage of the game. John Jackson also said he was bullied and harassed due to the accusation.
(1/3) @mountainridgems @dcsdk12 @MsGrissom on Saturday Jan 19 a teacher at ur school, Michelle Grissom posted a picture of my 17 yo son and a defamatory and untrue accusation regarding the incident that occurred in DC over the weekend..calling my son a #hitleryouth when I told
— John Jackson (@DrJacksonOB) January 20, 2019
Her my son was not in DC but playing basketball she demanded proof, proof sent she finally acquiesced and apologized but has refused to take down her post and my sons picture…I hope this is dealt with appropriately and swiftly …my son was harassed and bullied as a (2/3)
— John Jackson (@DrJacksonOB) January 20, 2019
result of this teachers rush to judgement ..totally abhorrent behavior and inexcusable actions that need to have consequences…SHE IS TEACHING YOUR STUDENTS!!! (3/3) pic.twitter.com/1hjAMBagtr
— John Jackson (@DrJacksonOB) January 20, 2019
Jackson asked three times for the picture of his son to be taken down, as well as the tweet calling him a Hitler youth.
Grissom said she got Jackson’s name from Inform Twitter in a separate post.
“But, if it’s not him [Jay Jackson], he must have a twin bc he’s dead ringer for the guy above,” a screenshot of a tweet shows.
John Jackson told The Daily Caller News Foundation that Grissom eventually apologized, but had not taken down the post with the term “Hitler Youth” even after having a day to do so.
“That’s when I sent the tweet to her, her school, and her school district and she finally took down the post Sun afternoon/evening,” John Jackson told TheDCNF. “My son was upset and fearful that his future would be ruined and this would follow him for the rest of his life.”
Grissom’s Twitter account is deleted.
The Douglas County School District (DCSD) could not give specific details to TheDCNF about the incident because it was a “personnel matter,” according to Superintendent Thomas Tucker in an email.
DCSD gave TheDCNF a letter sent Monday to the Mountain Ridge Middle School (MRMS) community, where Grissom teaches.
Many have tried to doxx the Covington boys after the initial video made rounds on social media.
This is not the first incident in which a person was misidentified regarding the events that took place after the March for Life on Friday.
1) Yesterday was supposed to be a day of celebration for my middle brother Alex, who got married last night. Instead my family had to deal with the fallout of my youngest brother #MichaelHodge being falsely accused for standing & smiling in front of an indigenous man with a drum
— Andrew Hodge (@PikePlaceTechie) January 20, 2019
Grissom has taught for 22 years and says the most important tools she can give to her students is the “ability to think critically about the world around them and to look at the world with an open mind,” according to her website.
Grissom did not immediately respond to TheDCNF’s request for comment.
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