High School Teacher Receiving Death Threats After Wearing Black Lives Matter Shirt To Class
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- A Los Angeles high school teacher began getting death threats after wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt while teaching.
The El Camino Real Charter High School teacher whose name is being withheld, said a parent took a photo of her wearing a shirt reading, "I can't breathe" -- a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement and some of the last words of people gunned down by police. The photo, according to the teacher, was sent out with a link to the teacher's email address and invitations to harass her.
The teacher has since filed a restraining order against Scott Blodgett, a parent at the school, and two other men after the incident, but Blodgett denies his connection to her seeking legal action.
"I heard she was filing a restraining order. I couldn't tell you why it would be against me," Blodgett said.
Blodgett was upset with the picture of the teacher wearing the shirt supporting the BLM movement while teaching his daughter's English class and also about hearing that the curriculum was modified to include addressing racial unrest.
"Having authors of color, children of color writing, talking about being in a biased world," the teacher said about her curriculum.
Blodgett, pushed back, saying, "I just want my daughter to go to English class and learn about English."
Soon after the teacher was pictured wearing the "I can't breathe shirt," someone shared the teacher's address online, forcing her and her daughter to hide out.
"I can't afford to go to a hotel and I can't go home," the teacher said. "My daughter's a ninth-grader starting at this school. She wears a mask. We can't stay in our home."
Blodgett said he has been accused of trying to get the teacher fired but said that wasn't his intention. He called the death threats against her "horrible."
El Camino Real Charter High School has been a vocal supporter for the Black Lives Matter movement and have rallied behind the teacher since the backlash she received.
The school's principal did not immediately respond to CBS2/KCAL9's request for comment about the incident.