Controversy over local high school student's tweet
Posted: Nov 16, 2015 3:31 PM PST Updated: Nov 24, 2015 7:29 AM PSTREVERE, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A local high school cheerleading captain was disciplined after she sent out a tweet about illegal immigrants.
She says it was a political statement, not a racial one. FOX25 spoke with the teen who says she was taking a page from Donald Trump. Caley Godino is a senior at Revere High School and she says part of their homework is to watch these presidential debates and her tweet was simply about a hot button issue in the headlines.
"When only 10 percent of Revere votes for mayor cause the other 90 percent isn't legal," Godino said in the tweet.
She says it was a response to a tweet from her teacher about the low voter turnout for November's mayoral race. Caley says she meant her tweet as a political comment, not a racial one.
But after other students complained, the school stepped in. Revere Superintendent Dianne Kelly says the district believes in freedom of speech, but cannot support what she calls insensitive language.
"If you're going to stand up and say something that other people will find offensive, then you need to be prepare to deal with the ramifications of that," Kelly said.
Caley's mother says her daughter who is the high school's head cheerleader is now banned from cheering for the rest of the season and doesn't think the punishment fits the crime.
Kelley said, the school did not discipline Caley because of the tweet alone. But because of student privacy, she couldn't comment on specifics.
"I would just say that, not everything you read is a full story of what's happening," Kelley told FOX25.
Caley's mother told us the school decided to discipline her daughter because of the intense backlash. Because of this controversy, the school is now creating a group of teachers and students to come up with a curriculum about diversity and acceptance.
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