An online petition is calling for the firing of Todd Harvey, a teacher at Wharton High School in Tampa, Florida, who has faced numerous complaints over the past 25 years.
The petition has gathered nearly 350 signatures and demands that school officials and law enforcement conduct a thorough investigation into Harvey’s history of misconduct.
According to district records, there have been at least 23 complaints against him since he started teaching in 1997.
Harvey was suspended without pay for five days for making racially insensitive comments and reprimanded for allowing students to pay him to boost their grades.
The complaints against Harvey include sexually inappropriate comments and making racist, homophobic, and misogynistic statements.
He allegedly called a biracial girl a “mutt” and a German pupil a Nazi salute. Harvey told his students that gay couples should not be allowed to marry in church and that women belonged at home and not in the workplace.
He also singled out pupils with “thunder thighs” and said they shouldn’t wear shorts.
Other complaints included mocking Latino pupils and refusing to call a German exchange student anything but “Germany.”
After a complaint from another German student, Harvey admitted performing a Nazi salute in class but claimed it was part of a lesson on the Holocaust.
Harvey also allegedly bullied a transgender pupil who later died by suicide.
Harvey has not responded to requests for comment, and the high school principal did not respond to messages.
The district spokesperson said incidents involving Harvey were investigated and that he was disciplined in a progressive manner.
The Change.org petition highlights the importance of protecting children from bullying and harassment and calls on school officials to take action against Harvey to prevent any more children from being hurt.
»An online petition seeks the dismissal of a Florida teacher for racists behavior«
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