A West Chicago PE teacher who resigned over a Facebook post supporting ICE is speaking out about what happened.
On Thursday, Jan. 22, Heidorn was first notified by school officials that they had seen the growing social media chatter about his post. He briefly quit after meeting with HR staff before rescinding his resignation the same day. Heidorn was set to return to school to teach on Monday while the school investigated.
Around the same time, Illinois Democratic state Senator Karina Villa, who was captured on video in September chasing down ICE agents in the street, publicly expressed outrage over the post and said she stands in "unwavering solidarity" with families upset about the "disturbing comments reportedly made by an educator."
On that Saturday, before an investigation had been concluded, West Chicago Mayor Daniel Bovey took to Facebook and posted a video explaining why Heidorn's comments were "hurtful" and "offensive" to many in the community.
"The issue is we have trusted adults who are the ones that care for those kids when they can’t be with their mom and their dad," Bovey said. "So to have someone cavalierly rooting on — as if it’s a football game or something, yeah go — events which have traumatized these children … that is the issue."
Over the weekend, parents online were encouraging each other to keep their students home from school as a form of protest, and many in the community began criticizing Heidorn.
The city of West Chicago held a "listening session" on Jan. 26 at the request of Bovey, that included a Spanish translator, where a variety of parents and locals expressed concerns about the post, including a woman who said "kids do not feel safe" as a result of the post and another woman who said the post was "cruel."
"This started with a two-word comment on my personal Facebook page supporting law enforcement—nothing more," Heidorn said. "It wasn’t directed at any student, family, or school community. Second, I was placed on leave and faced intense pressure before any full investigation or fair process could play out, with this it led to my resignation."
"Third, I lost my career, my income, and the chance to close out my time with my students properly—no farewell, no goodbyes."
Ultimately, Heidorn resigned a second time rather than be terminated after a hearing with school officials.
In a statement to Fox News Digital at the time that Heidorn was on leave in January, a West Chicago Elementary School District 33 spokesperson referred to the social media post as "disruptive" and said "we understand that this situation has raised concerns and caused disruption for students, families, and staff."
Teachers all across the United States have taken to the streets in recent weeks, causing disruptions in favor of far-left causes, including in Chicago where teachers stormed a local target harassing employees, to protest President Trump’s immigration policies without facing pushback or repercussions from local school districts.
Federal ICE police officers walking down a suburban street. (Christopher Dilts/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the district for a specific comment on what rule Heidorn violated by posting support for law enforcement on Facebook and if teachers who publicly "disruptive" against or antagonize ICE will be treated the same way. The district did not respond.
When reached for comment, Bovey pushed back on the suggestion he inflamed the situation with his Facebook video, saying, "Personally, I wish the teacher well."
"The teacher used his first amendment rights to make a statement," Bovey said. "Others used their first amendment rights in commenting on the situation. The school board took appropriate action to go through the due process of investigating a situation which had adversely impacted the education of children. The public used their first amendment rights to comment (in favor and against) the actions of the school board and then the teacher made a decision to resign. At the end of the day, though there were frustrations on both sides which were stoked by inaccurate social media posts, this is how democracy works."
Bovey added, "Despite a lot of vitriolic comments from people across the country who were misinformed by social media, our local community seems remarkably unified."
Heidorns said he has always taken his role "extremely seriously" over his 14-year career and that his reputation was "built on showing up every day, being reliable, fair, and genuinely invested in my students’ growth."
"My students' successes are what drove me more than you could know," Heidorn said. "I never brought politics into my teaching; my focus was always on my students. Losing that connection hurts more than anything, and I want people to know I never intended to harm or divide anyone."
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The "Greetings from Chicago" mural brightens a street in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood on March 30, 2018. (Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Going forward, Heidorn will be required to inform future school districts he applies to that he resigned and provide specifics why, which leaves any potential of furthering his career in the area unclear.
"I really don’t know what is next for me---as the teaching profession has been, up to this point in time, all that I ever wanted to do," he explained. "It is all I have ever studied for and teaching is what has defined me. Even advancing my education with a master's degree in educational leadership because I wanted to become the best teacher I can be."
"With that said—I’m exploring options in education or related fields, but I’m also taking time to heal and learn from this experience. I want people to know I’m grateful for the outpouring of support from those who reached out, donated, or shared my story. It reminds me that most people value fairness and second chances. I’m determined to move forward positively and keep contributing to kids’ lives in whatever way I can."
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chicago-area-teacher-breaks-silence-after-losing-job-over-2-word-facebook-post-supporting-ice