In 2017, a New Jersey school digitally removed any Trump images from yearbook photos. It then blamed a teacher, Susan Parsons, for the changes. But, she insists she was ordered to do so by those in the principle’s office.
Now, school district has been forced to pay the teacher $325,000 in damages because she claims they made her a scapegoat for the deplorable act. She claims this caused her to get death threats.
A retired New Jersey teacher who got death threats after editing a President Trump T-shirt out of a high school yearbook has now been awarded a $325,000 settlement from the district, according to a report.
Susan Parsons insisted she was regularly ordered to make edits to photos at Wall Township High School, including making a “Trump Make America Great Again” shirt look like a plain blue one in 2017.
When the alteration sparked outrage, Parsons was set up to “take the blame,” getting suspended and barred from talking to the media, she claimed in a lawsuit filed in May 2019.
The school’s yearbook adviser — who said she voted for Trump in 2016 — received hate mail and death threats, her suit claimed.
The Wall Township school board approved the $325,000 settlement with Parsons on Tuesday night, NJ.com said, citing a copy of the agreement obtained through an open records request.
The district made no admission of wrongdoing or liability, the outlet stated. It later reissued the yearbook with the original unaltered photo.
Parsons, who has since retired, will receive about $204,000 and the remainder of the settlement will cover attorney fees, the agreement said.
…Cindy McChesney, the principal’s secretary Parsons said ordered the censorship, has also since retired.
