Mesa Public Schools said it is looking into the incident.
On Tuesday, the teacher told 12News they dressed up that way for Halloween spirit week. The teacher explained that the theme was “dynamic duos” and that a teacher next door dressed as an angel.
“Participating in spirit weeks is a way for me to connect with my students and make class fun,” the teacher said. “It’s honestly nothing more than that.”
However, Hamlet said he felt insulted by the costume due to his religious beliefs.
“I said, ‘Don’t do that to me,’ and I pushed [the pitchfork] away maybe three or four times, but he kept doing it,” Hamlet said.
Nathaniel then told his father, Chris Hamlet, a former Mesa school board candidate, about what happened. Chris said he reported it to the school’s principal.
“I was really upset because I’m a Christian too,” Chris Hamlet said. “The main issue for me is, the teacher kept doing it even when my son asked him to stop.”
The next day, Nathaniel said the teacher was not in class and hasn’t returned since. Mesa Public Schools said the teacher is now on paid administrative leave.
A spokesperson for Mesa Public Schools gave 12News a statement on the incident:
“Mesa Public Schools administration was notified of the alleged incident late Wednesday afternoon. Our Human Resources department started investigating Thursday morning and put the teacher on paid leave. The investigation is still ongoing.”
Some parents picking up their kids from school on Monday told 12News that while they don’t agree with what the teacher did, they feel that firing him might be too extreme.
Serena Williams and family reportedly denied entry to French restaurant, hotel forced to issue apology
After it was claimed that former American tennis player Serena Williams was refused access to the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, a posh Parisian hotel was compelled to issue an apology to Williams and her family.
“Hell no, @peninsulaparis I’ve been turned away from better establishments’ rooftops where I would have liked to eat, but never with my children. X Monday, Williams wrote, “Always a first.”
Since the beginning of the 2024 Olympics, Williams, 42, has been in Paris with her spouse Alexis Ohanian and their two daughters, Olympia, 6, and Adira, 10 months.
The four-time gold medallist at the Olympics participated in the torch relay this year, which carried the torch from the Seine to the Olympic Cauldron. Nadia Comăneci, Carl Lewis, and Rafael Nadal joined her throughout her section.
Williams tried to eat at the rooftop restaurant of the Peninsula Paris, a five-star hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower, after more than a week of games.
Williams, however, stated that despite what she described as a “empty restaurant,” she and her family were refused admittance when they arrived.
The Peninsula Paris extended their support to as many fans as possible.
Greetings, Mrs. WilliamsWe sincerely apologize for the disappointment you had this evening. The hotel’s answer was, “Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was in fact fully booked and the only empty tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.”
They said, “It has always been an honor to welcome you, and it will always be to welcome you again.”
Many are unclear of how to interpret the hotel’s reaction, even if Williams has not yet responded. “You set up a table for her,” exclaimed some, while “She ought to apologize to your team,” held the opinion of others.
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