Current Events
Fairfield Freshman School of Cincinnati teacher Gil Voigt was suspended without pay for shooting down an African-American male student’s dream of being president someday. According to eyewitnesses, the student voiced his desire to be president, but Voigt cut him off quickly, saying “We do not need another black president!”
During a disciplinary hearing held last month, Voigt was suspended indefinitely and without pay for the remark. He also faces termination due to the racial insensitivity of his words.
“This is a rare occurrence,” said Assistant Superintendent Roger Martin. “This is the first time I’ve faced it since being named assistant superintendent (in 2011).”
Current Events
Sadly, this is not the first time Voigt has been in hot water with his employer. In 2008, Voigt received a verbal warning for an inappropriate racial comment, then another one last year for calling a student “stupid,” among several other offenses.
“We intend to uphold board policies and to hold teachers accountable for the essential functions of the teacher job description,” Martin added.
In light of Voigt’s dismissal of the student’s future presidential aspirations, the boy’s parents have since removed their son from the racist educator’s classroom.
UPDATE:
In light of this story going national, Gil Voigt has now come forward to dispute the accusations against him and to fight for his job.
Voigt, who has been a Fairfield Freshman School teacher since 2000, now claims that his statement was “misquoted” by the student, whom he says is not a very good student and is troublesome in class.
In a meeting with Fairfield officials, Voigt says he only told the student “I think we can’t afford another president like Obama, whether he’s black or white.”
“There was no way I was trying to indicate the color of his (Obama) skin had anything to do with his politics,” Voigt wrote in a statement to school officials.
Voigt continues to remain on indefinite unpaid suspension.
