A Chestatee Elementary School teacher’s aide, identified as Jane Allen, is being investigated by school district officials after posting racist comments about First Lady Michelle Obama on her Facebook page.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the posts, including one that refers to FLOTUS as a “poor gorilla” caused outrage and prompted calls and emails to school officials from concerned parents and Facebook community members.
The post was made aware to the community through screenshots taken by University of Houston Ph.D candidate Roni Dean-Burren, who shared Allen’s posts with the caption, “Is that who you want teaching your kids? #askingforafriend,” late Friday morning.
“I think that this concept of referring to Black people as monkeys or apes or gorillas is an age-old sort of racist comment that we’ve seen in this country for way too long,” Dean-Burren told the AJC.
Forsyth County Schools spokeswoman, Jennifer Caracciolo, released this statement, “We have and will continue to address this issue with the employee on Monday. Racism and discrimination are not tolerated in Forsyth County Schools.”