Eric Dodge, the teacher, wore the hat to two days of teacher trainings in 2019 at schools in Washington state, taking it off before entering the buildings but setting it near him.
Caroline Garrett, the principal of one of the schools, Wy’East Middle School, told Dodge on the first day to “use his better judgement.” On the second day, she allegedly said, “What is the [expletive] deal with you and your hat!” and called the teacher a racist and bigot before telling him to bring his union representative the next time they spoke.
- ..The panel noted that Garrett said she disagreed with the message the MAGA hat imparted, including an alleged anti-immigrant message, even while allowing other political symbols and speech at the school, such as a Black Lives Matter poster in its library and a Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sticker on her car.
- A key part of the ruling stemmed from Dodge being at the school while no students were present, the panel said. That meant Dodge was expressing himself as a private citizen, not a public employee. Dodge told the principal at one point that he would not wear the hat “in class, around parents, or in front of kids.”
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