Wednesday 14 September 2022 12:35 AM Husband of Texas teacher fired for defending pedophiles to kids says she was ... trends now
The husband of a Texas teacher who was fired earlier this month after she defended pedophilia in class has said she was an exemplary teacher who was 'taken completely out of context'.
Amber Parker, 53, taught English at Franklin High School in El Paso until she was sacked after making the comments in class, which were captured on video and subsequently shared to social media.
During the 18-second long clip that was posted to TikTok, the teacher can be heard telling students: 'Stop calling them that. You're not allowed to label people like that. Stop it, Diego. We're not going to call them that.
'We're gonna call them MAPs, minor attracted persons. So don't judge people just because they want to have sex with a five-year-old.'
The term 'minor attracted persons' allows people to escape the 'stigma' attached to the word pedophile.
The clip was recorded during a class discussion on The Crucible, and some of her students said she was not expressing her own views, but rather discussing provocative opinions.
Jason Parker, her husband of 30 years, said they were left shaken by the fallout.
'We were shaken to the core about these accusations,' he wrote on Facebook.
'It is both scary and disturbing that an edited 18 second clip could destroy a 30 year career when taken completely out of context.'
Amber Parker, 53, who taught English at Franklin High School in El Paso, was fired for telling students 'don't judge people for wanting to have sex with 5-year-olds' and asking them to call pedophiles 'minor attracted persons'
Parker was said to have been teaching students about The Crucible play when the subject suddenly veered onto pedophiles. She is pictured with husband Jason and their two grandkids
Parker (right) is pictured with husband of 30 years, Jason Parker
Parker's comments in class which were all captured on video and subsequently shared to social media
Jason Parker said that his wife was dedicated to her students, and condemned the decision to fire her. He said it was misguided.
'She is exemplary as a teacher and truly cares about the students,' he said.
'Needless to say we have spent many sleepless nights because of this cruel release to social media of the 18 seconds.'
Parker wrote in response to a Facebook post by Daniel Call, vice president of the El Paso Independent School District board, who said the video was lacking context.
Daniel Call, a school board trustee, said he believed Parker was pretending to advocate a position to challenge her students and prepare them to read the play. He then changed his mind
'Update on my last post; After hearing from some of the students that were in the class, including my own nephew, I believe now that the teacher that appeared to be promoting and normalizing pedophilia was pretending to advocate a position she didn't actually believe in order to challenge the students in preparation for them reading the [play] 'The Crucible,'' Call wrote.
'The video that many of us saw was missing this important context.
'I regret the negative attention that this situation has brought on this teacher and wish her well. I'm told she is a great educator.'
Jason Parker continued: 'We pray that you and the rest of the board will see this for what it is and not allow and edited video destroy an innocent woman, her career and her family in the process.'
But Call later deleted the post, commenting: 'My opinion about this situation changed once I was briefed by the district in closed session regarding the results of their investigation.
'There are facets of this situation that are not public knowledge.'
Amber Parker has not responded.
Parker, a married mother-of-five children and two grandchildren, was identified by the El Paso Teachers Association as the woman on the recording
The school district was immediately informed of the incident, which occurred at the end of August - and an investigation was launched, initially leading to Parker's suspension.
El Paso's Independent School District board of trustees, led by Superintendent Diana Sayavedra, then unanimously voted to fire Parker following her controversial remarks.
Liza Rodriguez, communications officer for the school district, said: 'After a thorough investigation was conducted, on September 6, 2022, during a Special Board Meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a decision to notify a Franklin High School teacher of proposed termination.
'Any allegation of potential misconduct is investigated thoroughly, and the safety of our students is a top priority.'
Some students and parents were quick to defend the teacher - who believed that the clip did not represent Parker's beliefs and the conversation was taken out of context.
But others condemned her for her words.
