A teacher at Takoma Park Middle School has been placed on administrative leave amid blowback over social media posts she made regarding the Israel-Hamas war that were criticized as antisemitic.
The teacher, Angela Wolf, is the department head of English Language Development at the middle school.
The public view of her Facebook account currently does not show the social media posts regarding the Israel-Hamas war. but screenshots of the posts have begun to circulate on social media.
MoCo360 viewed a handful of the screenshots, some of which showed that Wolf reshared a post that read “Free Palestine!!! #donotgiveup This is a #WarCrimes,” reshared a comic from Carlos Latuff that depicts Israeli tank aiming into the Al-Shifa neonatal intensive care unit, and a post that shouted out the bus operators who “refused to transport Zionists to the [pro-Israel] rally” from Dulles International Airport.
In a letter to the community sent on Thursday, Martin said after school on Nov. 30, parents from the community brought the posts to her attention. Martin said that she was “extremely saddened and disappointed by the contents of these posts” and “strongly condemned” the views in the post, adding that they don’t align with school values.
“At this time, our primary concern is the well-being of our students, families, and staff, and we understand the potential impact this situation may have on our school community and have begun an investigation into the matter,” she wrote.
In response to the matter, Wolf said, “I am not antisemitic. I condemn all forms of racism and I also condemn the deaths of innocent people in both Israel and Gaza.” She did not comment further.
While Wolf is on administrative leave, “any actions resulting from an investigation will be considered a personnel matter,” Martin wrote. Employee privacy laws prohibit the school district and Takoma Park Middle School from providing further details on personnel matters.
In November, another MCPS teacher, Sabrina Khan-Williams of Tilden Middle School in Rockville was placed on administrative leave after her posts on social media about the conflict went viral. The posts denied the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 occurred and accused Israel of harvesting the organs of Palestinian people.
MCPS has established best practices for social media for its employees, which lays out how they can engage and participate in social media responsibly.
“When using this valuable tool [social media], it is important to remember that what MCPS employees say or do on social media impacts how all of us are viewed professionally. MCPS expects employees to model good digital citizenship,” the MCPS Best Practices website states.
The website also shares tips on “social media don’ts” and reminds employees that activity on their personal social media pages can have an impact on their work.
“MCPS employees are required to conduct their private life activities (including social media activities) in a manner that is not prejudicial to your effectiveness as an MCPS employee,” the website states. “Any criminal, dishonest, or other inappropriate activities may have an adverse impact on your MCPS employment.”
In Martin’s community letter, she wrote that there would be additional counseling support at the school available for students and staff.
“These social media posts have undermined our school’s values of respect and belonging,” Martin wrote. “I understand the deep distress and hurt this incident has caused our community. We strive to be an inclusive school where all students and staff are valued and respected.”