School administration officials in Pasco County, Florida, have suspended a teacher for threatening a group of African-American students, saying, “Don’t make me call Donald Trump to get you sent back to Africa.” John Sousa, a teacher and coach of the boy’s golf team at Wesley Chapel High School, was forced to go on administrative leave after a concerned parent complained to authorities about the racially charged statement.
The Beaches Tampa Bay reports that Sousa walked up to three African-American female students in between class periods demanding to know what they were doing.
After learning about Sousa’s comments, Donnie Jones Jr., a father to one of the three girls, immediately took to his Facebook page:
Director of Communications and Government Relations for Pasco County Public Schools Linda Cobbe said, “The school district is very troubled if one of our employees did say what he is accused of saying. We take this type of alleged behavior very seriously and we will not tolerate it. We can’t stand for that. We expect civility. We are following our investigative procedures and will take appropriate action.”
Sousa admitted to making the offensive statement but said his comments were not intended to be racially charged.
He claims that he was referring to a larger group of students in the school corridor, an account Jones’ daughter describes as false.
