Cheshire teacher removed after video sparks firestorm on social media

CHESHIRE, CT – A Cheshire teacher has been temporarily removed from the building after a video was posted on social media in which she expressed her personal opinion about the 2024 presidential election, according to School Superintendent Jeffrey Solan.

The post sparked a firestorm of comments on social media, and Solan said the school district was “inundated with calls and emails predominantly from people outside the Cheshire community.”

In the video circulating on social media, a woman rails against voters who supported President-elect Donald Trump in the election.

In a message to the Cheshire school community, Solan said someone took a video of “one of our teachers sharing a private message to her group on Snapchat.”

“She expressed her personal opinion and not that of Cheshire Public Schools,” Solan wrote in the message. “The person who filmed it then posted the video on social media. Cheshire Public Schools is considering this situation as a personnel matter and as such we are following all applicable laws.

“However, it is immediately clear that it will be impossible for our students and staff to maintain business as usual without temporarily removing the teacher from the building. That’s why we did this pending the outcome of the investigation. The prevalence of social media has drawn out the process as we have been inundated with calls and emails predominantly from people outside the Cheshire community. Although we have not received any direct threats against the school, we will maintain a police presence out of an abundance of caution.”

Solan also encouraged “civil conversations” and urged everyone, “especially adults, to work to lower the temperature for the good of all Americans, but especially our students.”

Cheshire Police confirmed on Tuesday that the department was investigating the social media post, which contained threatening comments.

“When we became aware of the nature of the post, an investigation was initiated,” Lt. Jeffrey Sutherland in a press release. “This investigation is ongoing and no further information is available at this time.”