The shirts, which were shared in a since-deleted social media post, had fake blood<\/a> on them and said \u2018problem solved,\u2019 which politicians and influencers claimed was mocking the death of Charlie Kirk, the Valley-based conservative activist who was assassinated<\/a> during an event hosted by his Turning Point USA group in Utah in September.<\/p>\n However, the district said<\/a> the shirts were simply a Halloween costume and had been worn the year before<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe teachers involved care deeply about their students and this community,\u201d Vail School District Superintendent said in an email to Tucson.com<\/a>, the website for the Arizona Daily Star newspaper. \u201cAll of them are committed to protecting children, and none of them would intentionally cause hurt or pain. They too are truly sorry that this has caused concerns. The shirts will not be worn again.\u201d<\/p>\n Arizona education official says social media is amplifying threats against teachers<\/p>\n Garcia said the backlash online after the costume was posted was based on misinformation and ultimately harmed the educators and students in the district.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew that Monday would be almost like a slow day because kids are coming off the sugar rush (from Halloween),\u201d she said. \u201cUnfortunately, for this school district, because somebody decided to tweet out misinformation, this school district and every kid in that school district had a terrible day (Monday).\u201d<\/p>\n Garcia said that for the state, threats against educators are not an unusual occurrence, citing the Red for Ed movement<\/a> in 2018 that resulted in online discourse where threats were made about teachers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to help support teachers get cameras, and their tires were being slashed. They were getting spit on,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cIt just continues to get amplified, and social media is not helpful at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Garcia added that educators are leaving the profession because of the way the public is turning against them while they try to educate the next generation.<\/p>\n The politicalization of education in recent years could also be a factor in rising threats, with the privatization of some education turning the industry into a competition, according to Garcia.<\/p>\n To prevent incidents like the Oct. 31st post, Garcia is urging people to fact-check anything they post to prevent unnecessary threats to teachers and staff.<\/p>\n \u201cSpend more time face-to-face with your neighbors, at the school, talking to the people who work there, and less time reacting to these terrible things that are said,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cAnd also, really take a break and ask, is this real information? Who is posting this? What is their interest?\u201d<\/p>\n Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation. <\/p>\n Follow @@shiratanzernews<\/a><\/p>\n We want to hear from you.<\/p>\n Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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