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A Washington state high school teacher was placed on administrative leave after initially being formally reprimanded for making a sexually suggestive joke about lubricant to students during class.
“We received additional complaints regarding the teacher, so put her on administrative leave to allow more time to conduct an investigation,” an Anacortes School District spokesperson told KTTH radio host Jason Rantz.
Science teacher Casey Anderson initially “received a formal letter of reprimand” following a social media post where she recounted a sexually suggestive joke she made to her class. The social media post sparked outrage among parents, according to Rantz.
Anacortes High School in Washington state
(Google Maps)
TEACHER JOKES ABOUT LUBRICANT WITH STUDENTS, DISTRICT SAYS TERMINATION TOO ‘EXTREME’
“The most recent entry into, ‘Things Ms. Anderson Will Hear About From HR,” Anderson posted to social media on March 5.
The post included a photo of a novelty “cat butt” tissue dispenser, where tissues are dispensed through the cat’s backside.
Anderson wrote in the social media post that a student had asked how to refill the empty dispenser.
“I pause for a moment, then tell my class, ‘I turn down the lights, put on some soft music and use a LOT of vaseline,'” she wrote.
“I may have them retrieved [sic] a big container of petroleum jelly I had in my closet (for…reasons…) and placed it right by the cat,” she continued. “Class took a turn after that.”
Close-up of container of Vaseline brand petroleum jelly, Lafayette, California, January 20, 2022.
(Gado/Getty Images)
Anderson being placed on leave comes after Superintendent Justin Irish told Fox News Digital last week that the incident did not merit a termination.
“Although this conduct is concerning, it does not merit such an extreme result as termination,” he said at the time. “The district reached its decision in consultation with legal counsel, the teacher’s union and applicable state laws. The district expects all employees to adhere to professional standards and will continue to work with all staff to ensure that those standards are met.”
The new allegations prompting her to be placed on leave are unclear, but the district confirmed to Rantz it had previously looked into two other complaints. Those complaints were not deemed to have broken school policy.
One of the complaints reportedly focused on a Facebook post reading, “Making your kids queer since 2020.”
The other complaint concerned Anderson, who is allegedly transgender, reportedly sharing too much information about her gender identity, according to Rantz.
“The school investigated this complaint, and it was found to be unfounded and likely the result of student hearsay,” the spokesperson told Rantz. “Several students were interviewed, and it was determined that she did not make the comments that were reported to the high school administration.”
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Anacortes High School did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Anderson now being placed on administrative leave.
Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.
