WALLED LAKE, Mich. – A Walled Lake teacher is out of a job after tweeting support for President Donald Trump -- but it’s unclear if that’s the reason the district fired Justin Kucera.
Kucera, 28, lost his job as an AP World History Teacher at Walled Lake Western. He was also a coach there.
He has apologized for the negative attention, but not for the tweet. He said it’s not political.
On July 6, Kucera retweeted President Donald Trump, saying that schools should stay open in the fall. Kucera also tweeted that he was done being silent and that Donald Trump is our president.
In the comments Kucera said that “liberals suck.”
He said he was contacted via Zoom by school administrators because of his tweets and could either be fired or resign.
The superintendent was quoted as saying Kucera was not fired for his support of Trump.
Sources told Local 4 that someone said there were other tweets considered offensive and they were deleted. Kucera said that’s not true.
On Tuesday, the Superintendent of Walled Lake schools, Kenneth Gutman, released the following:
“When media stories/issues that garner public attention arise, we want to keep you informed around the District response.
Recently there have stories in the media regarding a former employee of Walled Lake. As a matter of policy and practice, Walled Lake Schools does not comment on current and/or former employees as it relates to specific personnel issues.
These are difficult times in our community and across our country. When issues arise there’s a temptation to view items through the lens of our fractured political discourse. Walled Lake encourages students and staff members to engage each other with mutual respect and civility.
We believe in the power of education and critical thinking. We believe vigorous community discussion, done with civility and mutual respect leads to productive and innovative outcomes. In the Walled Lake Schools’ educational setting we encourage positive discourse and working together to make decisions that benefit our community. Even in the face of challenges such as COVID-19, our community has demonstrated its ability to come together to support each other and rise above difficult issues.
We appreciate your support and we will be communicating frequently regarding next steps in the back-to-school process.”