Did a Joplin, Missouri high school math teacher write on Facebook that 11-13 more students would need to die by suicide before he or anyone else thinks it’s an “issue”? The Facebook conversation began when a former student linked to a story about the recent suicide of Canadian teen Jamie Hubley.
The teacher, Jim Whitney, reportedly wrote, “Moral of the story: Don’t be gay.” After a heated discussion, the former student,  Josh Gonzalez, asked, “How many more students have to kill themselves before anyone realizes this is an actual issue?,” to which Whitney, reportedly wrote, “11-13 ought to do it. Somewhere in that vicinity.”
But the teacher, Jim Whitney, who issued a distanced apology, told the former student, Josh Gonzalez, that his Facebook account had been hacked.
“Gonzalez, who graduated in 2009, said that he was initially upset by the comments from Whitney’s account, but said he later talked to Whitney, who denied writing them and told Gonzalez his account had been hacked,” the Joplin Globe reports.
“The part that got me really fired up was the ‘11-13 might do it,’†Gonzalez said “At that point I was like, ‘OK, that can’t be him.’â€
“Gonzalez said he and Whitney frequently debate on Facebook, but never disrespectfully. He also said the comments appeared out of character for Whitney and that makes him believe they weren’t made by him.
“We always quarrel about things and it’s always jokingly, so this was really surprising,†Gonzalez said.”
Whitney issued this apology via email:
“I do not condone bullying or harassment of any kind and I am very aware and saddened by the negative impact this type of behavior creates. I regret that the posts appeared on Facebook. They do not reflect my personal views and I apologize for any and all offenses caused by the comment.â€
The school board was to examine the issue last night, but no report has been released.
The group Missourians For Marriage Equality posted a screenshot of the Facebook conversation to their Facebook page (not with names redacted, as above,) and state that Facebook removed it and has refused to respond to their inquiries.
(hat tip: Towleroad)