A Florida teacher investigated over letter

On Nov. 1, a Florida elementary school teacher sent an email to her superintendent and school board highlighting the deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy stabbed to death in Illinois.

The Palm Beach County teacher's note was in response to an Oct. 10 message from the superintendent sent days after the Hamas attack to district staff and families that said the school district stresses "the values of respect, tolerance, and inclusivity."

After the teacher sent the note to school leaders, Rep. Mike Caruso of Florida sent a letter to be read at the Nov. 15 school board meeting calling for the teacher's suspension.

Now the teacher is being investigated and has been placed on paid leave, and her departure signals further reckoning over free speech rights for school employees as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war fuel debates across the country.

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