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.
Patrick Mahomes accidentally injured his Chiefs teammate, leaving him extremely upset and unable to calm down.
Patrick Mahomes may have made two big mistakes on the same play, which resulted in rising star Rashee Rice getting hurt. He had to be taken off the field on a cart, and it looks like he suffered a serious leg injury.
Rice looked to be in considerable pain as he was carted away
Patrick Mahomes threw an interception and accidentally injured his top receiver, Rashee Rice, on the same play.
After Mahomes threw an interception to Los Angeles Chargers safety Kristian Fulton, he tried to tackle the ball carrier but ended up landing on Rice. Rice had punched the ball out of Fulton’s hands, but Mahomes’ tackle attempt hit Rice’s right leg, causing a serious injury.
Rice had to leave the field on a cart, clearly hurt. He was very upset, with a towel over his head, as he was taken to the locker room for tests to check how bad the injury was.
Rice has been the Chiefs’ top receiver this season, ranking fourth in the NFL with 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Mahomes immediately knew he had made a mistake and watched as medical staff helped Rice, who was struggling to get up from the field.
With Travis Kelce not performing as well this season, Rice has become Mahomes’ main target on offense.
It looks like the Chiefs will need Travis Kelce more than ever this season, especially if Rashee Rice’s injury turns out to be as serious as it seemed on the field.
Rice isn’t the only receiver the Chiefs have lost this week. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is out for the entire season without even playing a game due to a shoulder injury he got during preseason.
The Chiefs also drafted a receiver, Xavier Worthy, in the first round this year, but they’ve had trouble getting him the ball consistently since his strong debut where he scored two touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens.
Now, head coach Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are anxiously waiting for the results of Rice’s scans as they find themselves trailing the Chargers in the first half.
Leave a Reply