Principal’s Donald Trump costume during school event sparks mixed reaction from Rockaway Township community
The principal at Catherine A. Dwyer Elementary School is in hot water after donning a “Make America Great Again” hat, during the school’s "Dress Like a Celebrity Day."
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An elementary school principal wearing a MAGA hat for a school event has a town divided.
The principal at Catherine A. Dwyer Elementary School is in hot water after donning a “Make America Great Again” hat, during the school’s "Dress Like a Celebrity Day."
The principal dressed like President Donald Trump by sporting a dark suit, red tie and MAGA cap.
A picture of Principal Michael McGovern in the costume last month made its rounds on Rockaway Township's social media pages, sparking fiery exchanges among members.
On Tuesday night during the public comment section of the Rockaway Township council meeting, resident Stacey Gregg shared her disapproval of the principal’s decision calling it a "racist hat," and many echoed her sentiments at Wednesday night’s Board of Education meeting, including Vanessa Colon, who teaches multilingual learners, the majority of whom attend Dwyer Elementary School.
"The current immigration policies have greatly affected families and students that I work with. Students have reacted with fear during unplanned fire drills, scared about who is coming to school," Colon said.
Those in support of the principal, like Dana Taboadela, were also in attendance at Wednesday night's meeting and said this was freedom of speech and spoke to the principal’s character.
"People support our principal. He’s been here a really long time. He’s a firefighter, a veteran and it’s really a shame what they’re doing to him," Taboadela said.
In a statement, school Superintendent Richard Corbett wrote in part, “We understand that the choice of costume has raised strong feelings and will be addressing the issue internally. A public forum is not the proper medium to address the situation."
According to Colon, the majority of the township’s multilingual learners are students at Dwyer Elementary. People of Latino descent make up the second-largest ethnic group in the township.
In a letter to the school community, McGovern wrote in part, “At no point was there any intention to make a political statement. My love and dedication to my students and staff remain my top priority."
