ARLINGTON, Va. — A substitute teacher is suspended after he reportedly expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the classroom.
The Washington Post reports that John Stanton was substitute teaching a Spanish class in Virginia on Friday when he said he backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urged students to read Russian state propaganda outlets.
Stanton said he was offering students an opposing viewpoint, by telling them to read Sputnik News, which has been declared a “state-run propaganda machine” by the FBI, CIA and NSA.
According to the Washington Post, Stanton said, “I think that got me was I said, ‘I personally support the logic of Putin,’ and what I meant by that is, he made a rational decision from his perception.”
Parents wrote an email to the Arlington Public School Board detailing what the substitute teacher said, and adding there was a Ukrainian student in the class.
A spokesperson for Arlington Public Schools has declined to comment on Stanton’s employment status, calling it a personnel matter.
Stanton said he doesn’t plan to petition for reinstatement.