The subject matter children are subjected to while in school caused a firestorm of backlash over the last year when parents revealed certain books discussing sexual orientation and gender identity to kids in elementary schools. The topic extended all the way to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he passed the Parental Rights in Education bill, banning such subjects from being taught until the fifth grade. Now, it seems that a teacher in El Paso, Texas made headlines when she was recorded telling students not to call people “pedophiles.” Instead, the kids should use terms like “minor-attracted persons.” 

**Let’s Connect! Join Our Community**

Teaching English at the Franklin High School in El Paso, Texas, 53-year-old Amber Parker appeared on a TikTok video, showing her stating to her class, “Stop calling them that. You’re not allowed to label people like that. Stop it, Diego. We’re not gonna call them that. We’re gonna call them MAPs, minor-attracted persons. So don’t judge people just because they wanna have sex with a five-year-old.”

Close


Occurring last week, the El Paso Independent School District board of trustees all voted to fire Parker for her statements. Since the video went viral, Parker was placed on paid administrative leave while the board discussed the incident. Some students came forward, explaining that the conversation came up as they were preparing to read The Crucible. “She [the teacher] was expressing how it was ridiculous how we [society] might not be able to call people pedophiles. That we [society] will probably have to start calling them MAPs because it can be offensive to them [pedophiles]. The class agreed.”

Discussing the board’s decision, Liza Rodriguez 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.”

While not releasing a statement, Jason Parker, her husband, wrote on Facebook, “I happen the be the husband of the teacher in question. I can tell you that we were shaken to the core about these accusations. It is both scary and disturbing that an edited 18-second clip could destroy a 30-year career when taken completely out of context. She is exemplary as a teacher and truly cares about the students. Needless to say, we have spent many sleepless nights because of this cruel release to social media of the 18 seconds. We pray that you and the rest of the board will see this for what it is and not allow an edited video destroy an innocent woman, her career, and her family in the process.”

Users commented on the story, writing, “I hate how perverse and twisted our country has become.”