A Florida teacher's teaching certificate could be in jeopardy due to her support of Black Lives Matter and the renaming of her school.
A teacher, Donofrio, who taught English at a former Robert E. Lee High School and mostly had Black students, put up a sign that read "Hate Has No Home Here" outside the room. This move led to an administrative law judge recommending her to receive a written reprimand after some officials accused her of bringing her personal views into the classroom.
A former student, Diamond Wallace, 24, referred to her as a "pillar" and a "rock" for them. Donofrio had been acting like a motherly figure to many students.
When the school year began in 2020, Donofrio displayed a large "Black Lives Matter" banner outside her classroom after George Floyd's murder by police in Minneapolis. She had also displayed a BLM sign and t-shirt in her classroom since 2018. Administrators asked her to remove it, considering it might contradict school district policy. Donofrio, believing she was not violating policy, refused. The banner was taken down on March 23, 2021, approximately five months after she was first requested to do so. A day later, she was reassigned to a job at a district warehouse.
The school officials also raised concerns regarding her displaying face masks in her classroom that read: "Robert E. Lee was a gang member." They considered this an expression of her personal view. However, Donofrio had claimed the masks – a common sight during the pandemic – were displayed by students as part of their advocacy of racial justice.
A hearing will take place at Florida's Education Practices Commission this week to determine if Donofrio will be sanctioned for wearing and displaying the Robert E. Lee masks and wearing one herself at a meeting, supporting the school's name change. The five-person panel of the Commission could potentially revoke her teaching license.
Judge Suzanne Van Wyk issued a recommendation in April that Donofrio receive a written reprimand for the Robert E. Lee masks, stating that her actions violated the school policy that teachers remain neutral on politically charged issues, such as naming changes and mask-wearing. However, Van Wyk acknowledged the offense was 'not severe' and posed no harm to the public or students. Her findings did not show any evidence of Donofrio failing to distinguish between her personal views and those of the school or district when displaying the Black Lives Matter banner.
The school administrators did not reply to CNN's request for comment on Donofrio's case.
The teacher's future in teaching is at stake as it's a time when Florida's classrooms have become a battleground in Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' culture wars. He launched a campaign against everything from formal instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity to the school's teachings about racism and American history to the books that students can read and the bathrooms they can use.
"Our school system should be about educating kids, not indoctrinating kids," DeSantis mentioned to the reporters in 2023.
"A dedicated, impactful teacher"
The BLM banner she had displayed outside her classroom as well as her advocacy for racial justice contributed to a political conflict surrounding the school renaming discussion. The school eventually took on the name, Riverside High School in June 2021.
A memo was published by the district prior to removing the banner; it stated: "employees are not permitted to display flags, banners or other signage representing a particular social cause or movement in a manner that may be interpreted as District speech." "Black Lives Matter" was declared "an expression of support for a social justice movement."
Richard Corcoran, the former education commissioner, criticized the situation as "indoctrination" and "critical race theory" in schools, despite it not being part of Donofrio's curriculum.
Donofrio was not fired. Instead, she insisted on removing the flag, despite being instructed several times to take it down. Additionally, she voiced concerns regarding the treatment of Black staff and students in the school.
Students reacted by collecting approximately 18,000 signatures on a public petition petitioning for her reinstatement.
"I wasn't fired for any reason related to my teaching," Donofrio remarked. "No one has ever been able to point to an issue regarding my teaching abilities or my test results, which only confirm that I'm a committed, skilled educator."
In April 2021, Donofrio sued Duval County Public Schools and its area high school superintendent in federal court, claiming the district retaliated against her "for her protected speech, her complaints about discrimination, and, more widely, her support of Black students' well-being," according to a lawsuit document. The school board paid $300,000 to settle the lawsuit in 2021, according to CNN affiliate WJXT.
"I truly thought that things were progressing and then seemingly out of the blue, human compassion turned into something controversial," Donofrio reflected.
Donofrio's longtime advocacy for racial justice was not novel. Years before she displayed the Black Lives Matter banner, she had led a class for quite some time to empower Black students through professional development, college readiness, and civic involvement.
"For her to create a safe space where teenagers could voluntarily express their trauma is truly a gift," said Wallace's mother, Renita Turner.
Donofrio and her students garnered nationwide attention, and the class eventually evolved into the organization known as the EVAC Movement. Students visited the White House in 2016 and interacted with legislators. Then-President Barack Obama met with them when he came to Jacksonville.
"It is genuinely the most stunning thing I've ever been a part of," Donofrio remembered this week, referring to the EVAC movement and its influence.
"Teachers assembled in resistance to educate properly, honestly to their students," said Donofrio's attorney, Mark Richard. "We don't want to find ourselves in America's culture wars."
Donofrio added, "My students are significant, educators who care about their students are crucial ... I have no doubt that with or without me, they'll change the world."
CNN's Ray Sanchez and Harmeet Kaur contributed to this article.
Read also:
- Despite the administrative law judge recommending a written reprimand for Donofrio, her students and former students such as Diamond Wallace continue to express their support for her, viewing her as a vital figure in their lives and education.
- Advocating for racial justice and displaying the Black Lives Matter banner outside her classroom has gained Donofrio recognition, even leading her students to organize a petition for her reinstatement when she was reassigned to a district warehouse.
