You were hired because we believe you were the best candidate to do such."Ī Missouri teacher has resigned from his job after he was forced to take down an LGBTQ pride flag. Your position in the Neosho School District is to teach speech and drama classes. The letter stated: "Our classrooms cannot become a personal platform for pushing one's personal agenda.
Newsweek reached out to Cummins for comment but did not hear back in time for publication. At least three more parents allegedly called and accused Wallis of pushing his "agenda" in the classroom, he wrote.ĭistrict administrators responded by asking Wallis to sign a letter that stated he agreed not to discuss human sexuality or his personal sexuality in the classroom.Ī letter provided to the Springfield News-Leader by Neosho School District Superintendent Jim Cummins stated that the writing was to document a discussion between the two on August 31. To him, the flag stood as a reflection of the classroom as a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth and that if students had a problem with who Wallis is, he said they could find another open class. When he was prompted to take the hangings down, Wallis said that students questioned why. Wallis (He/Him) September 5, 2021Īt the start of the school year, Wallis hung the pride flag and another sign that read "in this classroom everyone is welcome" in his classroom in an attempt to make it more open and welcoming for students. Now that everything is officially over, I can share some news ġ/- John M.