The decision by a school board to retain dance teacher Damon Keller, who repeatedly called in sick to teach private dance lessons, has sent the internet into a frenzied debate about racism and privilege.
A Very Good Dance Teacher
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Despite a history of disciplinary issues, the teacher in question – Damon Keller – was allowed to keep his job at Ockley Green Middle School after feigning sickness on multiple occasions. Keller’s students have gone on to dance for the likes of Rihanna and Beyoncé. In April, when he was initially fired before being reinstated, many walked out in protest.
Private Dance Lessons
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After being informed his contract wouldn’t allow him to take Wednesdays off to teach private lessons, Keller reportedly rang in sick on the day multiple times. The teacher also allegedly called in sick after his request for paid leave to judge a dance contest was declined. Reportedly, he was present at the contest.
He Was Fired
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Headteacher Julie Rierson and Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero moved to fire Keller in April, However, not all board members agreed with the decision. Keller is Black and some people thought his firing might come from a place of racism. Moreover, the district had allegedly been keeping an eye on him for years.
They’d Been Waiting for Him to Mess Up
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The board voted for Keller to keep his job. Michelle DePass, a member, said: “The district has been documenting Keller for eight years. They’ve been waiting for him to mess up. I have never experienced a White person being scrutinized like that over that length of time. We shouldn’t hold Black people to a higher standard of conduct than everyone else.”
Keller Was Undoubtedly in the Wrong
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Keller’s feigning of sickness was undoubtedly wrong and DePass wasn’t denying that. Her concern was that the school district had allegedly been keeping a closer eye on the dance teacher than it had anyone else, presumably looking for a reason to fire him over his race.
Keller Didn’t Get Away With It
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Despite keeping his job, Keller won’t walk away unpunished. He’ll be disciplined over his absences, although details of his punishment have not yet been shared. As previously mentioned, Keller’s students were distraught by his initial firing and staged a walkout to protest against losing one of the only Black teachers at the school. As such, they’ll undoubtedly be delighted to have him back.
Online Commenters Were Divided
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The story was shared across social media and online commenters were divided. “It is not a race issue. It’s an alleged performance issue. Why do people automatically throw a race card when the offender is a minority,” one person wrote. “The world is more nuanced than that,” another hit back.
Others Defended Keller
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Plenty of commenters defended Keller and many pointed out that other teachers, regardless of race, often get away with falsely calling in sick too. One person wrote: “I know of teachers who took off to go to the golf course. If he’s that talented and makes a name for students and the school, it’s a good thing the school board weighed in on that.”
Others Weren’t So Forgiving
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Some commenters weren’t so forgiving of Keller’s behavior. “Any other teacher would have been fired. Period,” one person wrote. “I don’t think they would have. They said the whole reason he hasn’t been fired is because the school board literally targeted him for years because of his race and they found that problematic.”
Some Suggested Docking the Teacher’s Pay
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Some online commenters, while feeling the teacher should have been fired, suggested docking his pay. “His behavior is not acceptable as a contracted teacher. He should be fired. Dock his pay for days off he was not sick,” one individual wrote. “I want to know how he’s getting punished. Are they docking his pay? Does he need to pick up extra duties? How’s he being punished?” another said.
Teachers Are Underpaid
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Some commenters were frustrated with those attacking the teacher. “Reading all these comments is so frustrating. This is complicated; it’s not a black-and-white case. Yes, this teacher did wrong. But he was targeted by the school board for his race. Also, if teachers were paid more, maybe he wouldn’t need a side hustle. Just saying,” one person wrote.
Others Found the Debate Tiring
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Some commenters found the debate around the story exhausting. One person wrote: “Misconduct? He simply has an attendance problem. Hardly what I would call misconduct. Yes, he should have been fired. No, he was not and it was probably due to the color of his skin – or possibly because he is actually very good at what he does and students like him.”
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