BRUNSWICK, Ga. — On Monday, Action News Jax showed a post that surfaced on Lisa Sowerby's Facebook page.
Jacinda Beckham says she saw the post on a Facebook page and reported it. Beckham said the page belongs to her Sowerby, her daughter’s teacher at FACES Pre-K Center in Brunswick.
“I think it comes off as racist. I don’t, think more or less it's a black or white but more of the whole community,” Beckham said.
Beckham and others are organizing a petition surrounding the controversial posts calling for the Glynn County School System to take action.
“I don't think it would have escalated like this if it had she been penalized,” Beckham said.
We went to school district for answers. District spokesman Jim Weidhaas would only talk to us off-camera.
He said Sowerby said she didn't make the posts on her page and the district can't investigate further since these pictures were posted on a personal computer.
“She said her account was hacked,” Beckham said.
“That's crazy because if you denied it you put it on Facebook you wouldn't deactivate your page,” said mother Makira Pettibone, who said she had a parent-teacher conference with Sowerby on Tuesday.
Pettibone said she is helping organize the petition.
“I asked her about it she smiled at me and laughed, slid me a piece of paper and said ‘have a nice day,’” Pettibone said.
We spoke with the Sowerby family on Tuesday. We asked Sowerby's husband if either he or his wife were willing to talk about this incident and he said no.
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UPDATE, 1/29/16: Law firm Williams Oinonen LLC said it represents Sowerby and released the following statement on her behalf:
"Ms. Sowerby refutes the allegations of racism made against her and wants to emphasize that she opposes racial discrimination and prejudice in all forms and is committed to the respect, dignity, and equality of all persons, especially the young children whose lives she is entrusted with."
Cox Media Group
