Fired after posting altered ISIS photo
Teacher who put picture on Facebook could be barred
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Monday, April 17, 2017
SALLIQ/CORAL HARBOUR
A teacher in Coral Harbour has had his contract terminated after he posted an altered ISIS execution photo on a community Facebook page in late March.
Mose Suzuki says his contract was to be 'terminated without cause." - photo via Facebook |
Moses Suzuki e-mailed News/North on April 8, confirming he received written notice on April 7 that his contract was to be 'terminated without cause.'
"My teaching position remains effective until the end of my term contract, which is until June 9, 2017, after which time I may apply for teaching work elsewhere in Nunavut," he stated. "I am still under suspension, still not allowed on school premises, and still awaiting my delayed interrogation."
The photo, which was online for only a few minutes, shows an altered picture of the beheading of American journalist James Foley. In the photo the journalist's face is replaced with the face of teacher Moses Suzuki and a Coral Harbour woman is added to the image beside the executioner.
Suzuki confirmed he had previously been in a relationship with the woman. He stated the photo was in response to comments he called 'cyber-bullying' directed at him on a private community Facebook page.
According to Article 18 of the Collective Agreement between the Nunavut Teachers' Association and the government, any Nunavut teacher who is within their two-year probationary period may have their contract terminated at the end of the school year.
"There doesn't need to be cause stated with their rejection," said Heather Campbell, the association's assistant executive director.
"The notice must be delivered by registered mail to the teacher at least 60 calendar days before the end of the closing day of the school in which the teacher is employed and takes effect on the last day of that school year," stated the document.
In an initial email where Suzuki reached out to Nunavut News/North, he wrote, "I just lost my mind and posted that picture."
He said he made the photo at home a month prior as a form of "art therapy" to relieve feelings of stress he was under.
The subject of his initial e-mail on March 28 read: "ISIS Scare In Coral Harbour."
After the weekend post, he stated rumours spread that he had posted a bomb threat on the school that Saturday night.
"This information spread like wildfire, and that's the real reason why parents kept their kids at home on Monday, why parents said that they didn't want their kids coming to school if I was there, and that they wanted me to not work there anymore."
After hearing from residents in the hamlet that few people had actually seen the photo, Suzuki reposted the photo on his personal Facebook page so people could see what photo had caused concern.
He did this to dampen concerns for community members who were afraid of a bomb threat, he stated.
"What we have here is not so much a systematic mistake but an individual making an unfortunate decision," said John MacDonald, assistant deputy minister for the Department of Education, who spoke to News/North following the incident.
When contacted, staff at the hamlet office said there was not much talk about the incident around town.
Suzuki noted that if an investigation determines there was cause to terminate him, he could be barred from working as a teacher in the territory.
