We all remember the Maryland teacher who went viral for the wrong reasons right? In May, Marquise White shared a video on his TikTok where he showed his young Black female students taking out his braids before his hair appointment.
The video led to widespread controversy from across the internet, with some claiming that no teacher should have that kind of relationship with their students and others defending the video, saying it was innocent. Despite the differing views, an investigation was launched against White by the Prince George’s County Public Schools.
He defended his actions by saying that he was mainly being attacked because he is “a young, handsome, Black man.”
But in a recent video posted to his TikTok, White gave the public an update and said that he’s allowed back in the classroom.
On Friday, July 5, White said, “Guess what? Guess who finally received a decision from the county on behalf of the superintendent, in regards to my employment status? At first, I was really bothered by how long this process was taking, but now, as I’m looking back on it, I want to thank the county for taking their time and ensuring I wasn’t an actual weirdo that slipped through the cracks before they allowed me back into the classroom.”
He added, “People were calling me everything under the sun, making baseless claims, allegations, and accusations against me. Calling me a predator, a pedo, ‘Diddy.’ All those baseless claims made it back to the county, so they had to treat it as if I was an actual weirdo and look into it… After a long, extensive, and arduous investigation, they didn’t find anything.”
Watch the entire video below:
While there are sure to still be some detractors who still disagree with his actions, many were positive in his comment section, with one user writing, “The entire situation made me realize the significant amount of healing that our community needs. Absolutely nothing was wrong with what you did and I’m glad you’re back!”
What do you think? Does White deserve to be a teacher again?