Springfield parents demand action after teacher’s controversial Facebook posts surface

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — Some parents with students in the Springfield Public Schools (SPS) district are in an uproar over Facebook posts and comments from a Maple Elementary school teacher, some of which express anti-Muslim, ableist, and even genocidal rhetoric. We spoke to a few of those parents on Friday along with district officials about what they want to see happen. Cheyanne, who agreed to speak with us on the condition of not showing her face or sharing her last name, and whose children attend the elementary school, came across kindergarten teacher Neil Baird’s Facebook page after he commented on an SPS post regarding Monday’s board meeting. She says when looking at Baird’s profile, she came across many Facebook posts that concerned her. “I saw him making comments about students on IEPs [Individualized Education Programs],” Cheyanne told us. “That made me see red. I have a son that’s autistic, and I knew before I hit that point that the school needed to be aware of these posts.” One post that has since been deleted but was public Thursday, said: “Time for a new crusade. Kill all illegals and Muslims.” Another one said: “Any illegals in this county need to be kicked
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