PONTIAC —  Brooke Harris, a teacher at the Pontiac Academy for Excellence Middle School, was fired from the charter school late last month for helping students organize a fundraiser for the family of 17-year-old Florida fatal shooting victim Trayvon Martin, according to a release by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Harris had won Teacher of the Year awards in two of the past three years but was let go with little explanation. An online petition is circulating calling for her reinstatement. 

The SPLC is concerned that the firing will create a climate of fear in which teachers may believe they’re putting their careers at risk by using current events to engage students in the classroom.

“It is disheartening that a teacher would be fired for supporting the altruistic actions of her students — a fundraiser for a family that has experienced a tragic loss,” said Maureen Costello, director of the SPLC Teaching Tolerance’s program. “Firing teachers who engage their students with real world events sends a dangerous message to teachers and students alike. It turns school into a punitive place where questioning the world around you can result in swift and severe punishment.” 

When Harris, a literature teacher, was asked by her eighth-grade journalism students last month if she knew anything about “the kid who was killed over some Skittles,” she decided to assign them an editorial writing project on the subject of Martin, whose shooting death has sparked a national outcry and raised questions about race and racial profiling.

The students took it upon themselves to raise support for Martin by writing letters to school officials and wearing hoodies to show support for Martin, who was killed while wearing one. Each participant paid $1 to wear the clothing instead of school uniforms, and such fundraisers are common at the school allowing kids to “dress down” in exchange for donations. 

 Academy Superintendent Jacqueline Cassell rejected the request. Harris asked if the students could present their idea in person but was criticized by Cassell for even making the request. Harris was suspended for two days. The dispute eventually led to her firing.

“I feel bad for my kids,” Harris said. “I feel bad that now not just society is underestimating them, but so is a woman who is supposed to be looking out for their education.”