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A teacher in Idaho has been let go from her district after inflammatory online comments surfaced. Rita Soltesz, a music teacher for West Ada School District, was fired for very crude comments toward the mayor of Boise, Idaho.
You can see news coverage here.
Rita Soltesz no longer employed at West Ada School District, officials confirmwww.youtube.com
Her last day was Friday.
Soltesz had been under fire after she made a comment on a news article on Facebook. The article was written by Media Right News about a petition to recall Mayor Lauren Mclean after she spoke against White supremacy and in support of Black Lives Matter.
The comment read:
"Her White supremacist hater a$$ needs to get laid! ...by BLM members. Should be a group activity ...and make it go viral! ...I'm still deciding if they should wear masks during the activity."
Parents of students who attended school where Soltesz taught were appalled. They informed the district.
Soltesz was quickly let go.
https://t.co/dm8j3bxGPl So i guess we can call her the white supremacy karen who like all the other karens has lo… https://t.co/hGRBzQbGTW— AFRO-SPANISH-ASIATIC-MIDDLE EASTERN& ITALIAN (@AFRO-SPANISH-ASIATIC-MIDDLE EASTERN& ITALIAN) 1596125562.0
Are we surprised at the level of hatred in this “Greatest Nation In The World”? Other countries have lost respect f… https://t.co/HbfDcCc161— Spyder D (@Spyder D) 1596133761.0
When we think about black life we need to consider the ways that black sexuality is weaponized and exploited https://t.co/28nTisrG0X— Soaking 🤌🏿 (@Soaking 🤌🏿) 1596137735.0
@RebeccaADeLeon @KevinRichert There’s a mask off joke in there, but I’m not that smart or funny.— Randall Post (@Randall Post) 1596053313.0
Much of the attention focused on Soltesz's crude language and her suggestion of sexual acts the female mayor should take, but there's another part being largely ignored.
Soltesz outright endorsed White supremacy. Her comment literally calls out the mayor for being a "White supremacist hater".
This sentiment was reflected by a district spokesperson in their response to news about the comment.
Eric Exline, a West Ada School District spokesperson told the Idaho Statesman:
"The statement she made clearly does not reflect the values of the West Ada School District, nor do we condone the language she used."
Of course people started making claims about free speech.
The First amendment right extends to protection from government retaliation for your speech.
It doesn't protect you from consequences from your employer, community, TOS violations on social media platforms, etc...
@Sonshyneday98 @nypost Nothing wrong w freedom of speech here. Her school just doesnt want to be connected to someone so small minded.— Jenn (@Jenn) 1596137802.0
@dodgeinho @IdahoStatesman Freedom of speech does not equal freedom from consequences.— Nici (@Nici) 1595357746.0
Don't risk your career over something like this. lol https://t.co/ADswgo9M42— Añdré (@Añdré) 1596117990.0
@mikesatz @KevinRichert Well said.— Gregory Graf (@Gregory Graf) 1596060317.0
Soltesz doesn't need to worry about being thrown in prison for her language. But that doesn't mean the district has to keep employing her either.
As of this writing, Soltesz has not issued any comments on the matter.