The father of a 16-year-old Philadelphia girl who says she was mocked by her geometry teacher for wearing a Mitt Romney T-shirt says his children will not be going back to the school.
"The teacher told me to get out of the classroom, I said no," Samantha Pawlucy told NBC10.
"She told me to take off my shirt and said that she has another one if I need one. And then the teacher asked me… 'are your parents Republican?' I said, 'I don't know.' She said that's like her wearing a KKK shirt."
Samantha briefly returned to Charles Carroll High School in the city's Port Richmond section Tuesday after missing class following the incident with teacher Lynette Gaymon.
Samantha’s father, Richard Pawlucy confirmed to NBC10 information he earlier told The Philadelphia Inquirer, that his daughter never actually made it to class and instead went into the school offices following a rally held by her supporters. He says she felt uncomfortable.
Pawlucy says the school staff member assigned to escort Samantha around the school on her first day back, to ensure the 16-year-old's safety, tried to grab a red marker and put a big X on the Romney shirt the day Sam wore it.
He says Samantha and two other high-school age children in his home will be transferring to another school with the help of State Rep. John Taylor (R).
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Gaymon apologized telling the Pawlucy family that her comment was meant as joke. She also released a letter to students that in part said:
First of all, I'm very sorry for all of the chaos and negative attention that has surrounded our school in the past couple of weeks. What I meant as a light and humorous remark during class has developed into a huge conflict between students, faculty, parents and neighbors. My words were never meant to belittle Ms. Pawlucy, or cause any harm, and I truly regret that we have come to this point.
NBC10 has reached out to the Philadelphia School District for comment.
