FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2020
JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Florida Times-Union has uncovered a Duval County public school teacher’s social media posts that mock the LGBTQ+ community in shocking and graphic terms, a new development that the Duval school system said it will investigate. Previously, this same teacher was investigated for refusing to use a transgender teenager’s pronouns, which sparked inclusion training.
Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Stephen Gaskill issued the following statement:
“The teacher in question has a long and disturbing track record of anti-LGBTQ comments and abhorrent viewpoints. Duval County Public Schools should complete its investigation thoroughly and swiftly – and it should be the end of Mr. Caggiano’s public teaching career. A teacher’s personal views should never come at the expense of a student’s safety or well-being.”
Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus Communications Director and Jacksonville resident Phil Perry reacted to the development:
“When I see what Mr. Caggiano wrote, I think about all the LGBTQ students who are just coming to terms with who they are. Seeing a teacher post such hateful language could drive them further into isolation or subject them to bullying. It’s never acceptable for a teacher to make public comments that lead to a toxic school environment.”
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