Nancy Perry, a veteran schoolteacher from Dublin, Georgia will no longer teach classes for the rest of the year and will instead retire after she told her students that the US President was not a Christian and that anyone who voted for him was evil.
According to Dublin City Schools Superintendent Chuck Ledbetter, the teacher's actions were inappropriate and educators should not influence students about political and religious beliefs.
"In doing so, the teacher was wrong and that has been communicated to her... Just as importantly, we are communicating this message to all staff of the school district," he said.
Jimmie Scott, one of the parents, told WMAZ that his 12 year old son told them what his teacher said in school, prompting him and other parents to complain.
"If your parents voted for Obama, they're evil and I don't see how your parents could vote for someone that's Muslim," Perry allegedly said, according to Scott.
However, when the parents requested a parent-teacher meeting, Perry arrived with her husband, Bill, who was also a member of the Board of Education. Some of the complainants believed Bill's presence was meant to intimidate the parents into revoking their complaint.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) led the calls for the resignation of both the teacher and her husband, and attended the meetings called by the Dublin Board of Education on the issue.
In addition to the announcement about Perry, the board is also looking into holding training sessions for the district's professional staff to ensure that there is clear and consistent communication around expectations from the administration to the teacher level.
"We expect these subjects to become a regular part of our annual training of staff. We also intend to plan for greater emphasis within the curriculum on the contributions, history, and culture of diverse people groups," Ledbetter said.
In response to complaints about Perry's husband, Ledbetter has vowed to institute reforms to prevent members of the Dublin school board from sitting in on parent-teacher meetings.
