Public school teacher accused of offering to pay coronavirus-infected people to cough on President Trump has resigned

A Rhode Island public school teacher accused of offering to pay people infected with the coronavirus to cough on President Donald Trump has resigned, WJAR-TV reported.

The Woonsocket School Committee voted 5-0 to accept a settlement agreement with Amy Bednarz on Wednesday night, the station said, adding that she tendered her resignation as part of the agreement. There was no report on other details of the settlement.

What's the background?

"Somebody with Covid-19, I will pay you to cough on #Trump," Bednarz allegedly tweeted in March, WJAR said.

 

The user identified herself as a sixth-grade English Language Learner teacher at Villanova Middle School in Woonsocket in a subsequent post, WJAR reported, adding that the account has been deleted.

A district investigation into the Twitter post was launched in late March.

What did a state education official have to say about the tweet?

"I was saddened & disappointed to see this tweet — it is unprofessional and sends the wrong message during a time when our whole education community is setting a national example," the state's Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Angelica Infante-Green tweeted. "This is not acceptable and certainly not representative of the overwhelming majority of RI teachers."

How are folks reacting to the teacher's resignation and settlement?

Commenters on WJAR's Facebook page were almost universally pleased that the accused teacher resigned — but wanted more done to her:

• "Good. She is a first class piece of crap!"
• "Trump Derangement Syndrome...still can't get over he won."
• "She needs professional help!
• "Only in RI do teachers [who] encourage endangering the president's life get paid to quit their jobs."
• "But the taxpayers still have to pony up $!"
• "She'll be picked up by some liberal college to teach."