Ashley Bennett, a special education supervisor with North Penn School District, has resigned from her position following an investigation by the district into comments that she made about Black Lives Matter on her personal Facebook page in late June.
The now-deleted post, which was shared by Bennett on the evening of June 24, said in part:
“I see signs all over saying #BlackLivesMatter. I’m just trying to figure out WHICH black lives matter. It can’t be the unborn black babies – they are destroyed without a second thought. It’s not black cops – they don’t seem to matter at all. It’s not my black #Conservative friends. They are told to shut the **** up if they know what’s best for them by their black counterparts. It’s not black business owners. Their property, their business and their employees don’t mean anything. So which black lives matter again?”
The post continued its focus on the Black Lives Matter movement, before taking aim at the coronavirus response, mainstream media coverage, Democrats and others. The post then wrapped up with a prayer that God will heal the country.
 |
Screenshots of Bennett’s
now deleted post, which originally appeared as a public post on Facebook during
the evening of June 24. (Credit: Submitted) |
The following morning, Bennett’s post had made its way through several local Facebook groups, including Black Residents of Lansdale Area United, where the statements were near-universally decried as insensitive and unacceptable. It also drew the attention of North Penn School District officials, who condemned the post as being out of alignment with the district’s views and values.
Officials quickly placed Bennett on administrative leave while they conducted an investigation into her comments. Later that evening, Bennett posted a public apology stating that she used poor judgement.
The post read, in full:
“All: I shared a post a few days back that was inappropriate. I didn’t realize at the time how it was going to be interpreted. I should have. It was something on my page and I should have been more aware. Up until recently, [Facebook] has always just been a way to keep up with my friends, their kids and dogs. I allowed all of the negativity to get to me and used poor judgement. Anything that I posted that was interpreted as racist was not my intent. A very wise person made me see that I was wrong. Anyone who was offended…I apologize. I plan to learn and grow from this experience so that my apology is not just words. I take responsibility for my poor actions and hope those of you who know me can eventually forgive me. I will be going off [Facebook] for awhile (sic), so I can focus on the positives. [Thanks] for listening.”
Like the first post, the apology was later deleted, and it appears that Bennett deactivated her Facebook account a short time after.
On July 14, as the investigation into her comments was still ongoing, Bennett resigned from her position.
During their July action meeting, the North Penn Board of School Directors unanimously approved a package of personnel changes which included the Bennett’s resignation. According to Dan Sokil at The Reporter, the decision was made with little discussion at the meeting, and both Superintendent Curt Dietrich and school board President Tina Stoll declined to comment on Bennett’s case after the meeting.
That action meeting also saw the approval of an anti-racism resolution and an equity statement on behalf of the district.
Attempts by North Penn Now to reach Ashley Bennett for comment continue to be unsuccessful. Should she respond to our requests or issue a statement, we will include it in this article.
See also:
North Penn Employee Placed On Administrative Leave Following Comments Opposing Black Lives Matter
North Penn School Board Recommends Approval Of Anti-Racist Resolution, Equity Statement
Demonstrators Pack Downtown Lansdale For Rally Against Racial Injustice
Montgomery County Declares 'Juneteenth' An Official Holiday
Lansdale Police Chief: ‘It’s Time To End Idle Talk And Move Towards Solutions’
