Elementary school teacher uses assembly as opportunity to spew anti-vaccine rhetoric
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As life for students slowly returns to normal amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, there are a number of concerns people continue to weigh: Can we trust children to keep masks on all day? What protections are in place for teachers with compromised immune systems? Is custodial staff being given enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to do their jobs safely? Added to this list, apparently, is: What happens if a teacher disseminates anti-vaccine information?
One recent example of this precise scenario comes to us from Lehi, Utah, where a physical education teacher turned an assembly to honor veterans into an opportunity to spew anti-vaxx rhetoric and, for some reason, rant about socialism, as reported by Deseret News.
Larry Law, who works as a physical education teacher at Dry Creek Elementary School, is also a military veteran. On Monday, the school held a ceremony to honor veterans, which is reportedly a tradition the entire district participates in. Law was recognized for his service during the ceremony and after talking about his military service, he jumped into anti-vaccine rhetoric.
Deseret News reports receiving an image of Law in front of a slide that reads: “Many college students think socialist/communist ideas sound appealing … Talk to someone who has escaped a socialist country. Ask them about how corrupt the government is, how they control your life, how they harm and kill innocent children.” Mind you, this presentation is being held at a literal elementary school.
“If we don’t teach our students the truth about our Constitution,” the slide reportedly reads. “They will end up slaves to bullies.”
The parent of a child who attends the elementary school (and asked not to be publicly identified) told Deseret Law’s speech was “basically full of anti-Asian rhetoric” as well as suggesting that getting “free handouts,” including groceries, is for “lazy” people and innately anti-American. The same parent said Law suggested that fighting COVID-19 vaccine mandates is basically the same thing as fighting bullies. The parent said Law also characterized the government as being a “bully” in terms of advising people to get the vaccine.
As dug up by Deseret, Law works on an anti-vaccine blog called Angie’s Option Grass Roots Movement. On the blog, Law writes about disagreeing with the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for children. Law also described the pandemic as “socialist inspired.”
The Alpine School District confirmed via an email to the outlet that the incident did, indeed, happen, and that it’s under investigation. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the outlet was informed that the school’s principal quickly ended the assembly and talked to faculty and staff members about the situation. In an email sent to the Tribune by district spokesperson David Stephenson, the incident was categorized as “isolated” and “unfortunate.”
Disturbingly, this isn’t the only incident involving a teacher spreading anti-vaccine hysteria to children. Daily Kos recently covered, for example, the family who came forward with concerns after their child left school basically terrified of the vaccine. The child, who insisted they didn’t want another shot ever gain, cited their teacher having told them that your baby could be taken from you if you refused vaccines while in the hospital. Thankfully the eighth-grader was quick-thinking enough to record the teacher’s bizarre rants for evidence.