NC teacher separated students based on religion, officials say. Now she’s suspended
A North Carolina teacher who officials say separated students based on religion has been suspended without pay.
Julia Lopp, a Spanish teacher at South Johnston High School, was accused last month of dividing students based on their religious beliefs, The News & Observer reported. She was suspended with pay while officials investigated.
Now Lopp has been suspended for 10 school days without pay, according to a release from Johnston County Public Schools.
As part of an activity, students were asked to “briefly stand on different sides of the room to indicate their responses to various statements,” the release says.
But the investigation didn’t find that Lopp “criticized students for their responses or otherwise segregated them” or that she tried to hide the activity.
“Regardless of the intent, students should never have been asked about personal beliefs,” Superintendent Jim Causby said in the release. “Given Ms. Lopp’s willingness to take responsibility for her misjudgment, I believe that she will use this experience to better her instruction for our students at South Johnston High School.”
Causby recommended Lopp’s 10-day suspension, the release says, and Lopp has accepted the recommendation.
She also apologized for the activity and for the “disruption it has caused” the school, the release says.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 2:49 PM with the headline "NC teacher separated students based on religion, officials say. Now she’s suspended."
