Florida psychology teacher is fired after he asked high school students to write own OBITUARIES
Serious error? Florida psychology teacher is fired after asking high school students to write their own DEATHS ahead of active target practice — but insists he did nothing wrong
- Jeffrey Keane taught psychology at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando
- He instructed students to write their obituaries to reflect on mass shootings
- After upset students sought counselors, he was fired
A psychology teacher at a Florida high school was fired after giving his students a task that involved writing their own obituaries ahead of an active shooting practice at the school.
Jeffrey Keane taught at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, when his class apparently went too far.
He asked the students, “If they were to die in 24 hours, what would they do differently than they did yesterday?”
Keene wanted to use the exercise to teach his students about safety and thinking about the important things in life.
Students were asked to write a paper about how they saw the exercise and wanted them to answer multiple questions.
Jeffrey Keane taught psychology at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando until this week when his class apparently went too far
He asked the students, “If they were to die in 24 hours, what would they do differently than they did yesterday?”
“Why does the United States have so many mass shootings? What positive actions can we take to reduce the number of shootings?’ and ‘How has this mass shooting epidemic affected you as a person in your plans for the future?’
A student in his first grade apparently got upset and asked to speak to a counselor and he was soon fired after a school official lectured him.
The teacher was then given the opportunity to resign without breaching his contract.
“I said, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’ I said, ‘If I did, tell me what it is.’ They said, ‘We can’t do that.’ I said, ‘In that case, since I don’t know what I did wrong, you can terminate me for no reason.’
They then did so on Tuesday, shocking Keene, who posted several Facebook posts protesting the decision.
“I’m a little confused by this. Have our schools put more emphasis on censorship and rights than on preparing these ‘young adults’ for ‘the world we live in’?’
He added that the class was for 10th through 12th graders, the sophomore through senior grades in the public school.
Keene also noted that he put a disclaimer at the end of the assignment saying that this was “in no way to upset you.”
A student in his first grade apparently got upset and asked to see a counselor and Keene was soon fired after a school official lectured him
Dr. Phillips High School fired Keene on Tuesday, shocking him. He posted several Facebook posts in protest of the decision
Keene also noted that he put a disclaimer at the end of the assignment saying that this was “in no way to upset you”
The psychology teacher had tried to explain himself and the assignment, but it wasn’t enough.
Keene told Fox 35, “I was stunned. I talked to students about the world they live in. Gun safety, active shooters.”
That says a spokesperson for the school Miami announces Keene was a “probationary employee” who was fired, but did not accept his resignation.
Keene has promised to appeal his dismissal.