Nashville Teacher Fired Over 'Lack Of Judgement' For Video Of Student's Hijab Being Ripped Off

A Nashville teacher from New Vision Academy Charter School was fired Thursday for a "lack of judgment" due to a video posted on Snapchat showing a student's hijab being ripped off. The teacher was initially suspended due to the ongoing investigation.

The video, originally posted on the unidentified teacher's Snapchat account, featured a student covering her face while her religious headscarf was being ripped off, exposing her hair. The video came in two parts, and included the captions "pretty hair" and "lol all that hair cover up."

When the video was initially surfaced by WSMV from a concerned viewer, the principal of the Tennessee charter school, Dr. Tim Malone, said that the unnamed teacher denied making the video. A statement released Nov. 8 said that "the staff member in question has been suspended, without pay." WSMV, however, received another statement Wednesday from the school that the teacher was "no longer an employee."

"We are deeply sorry to the student and her family for the embarrassment this has caused them," the statement read. "We value and celebrate our school’s diversity. It’s a big part of what makes our school a special place. This incident does not reflect our school’s values in any way."

The statement released by Malone also stated that upon investigation, it was concluded that the teacher did not perform the act with a "malicious intent" but performed a "severe lack of judgment."

"We feel confident that there was no malicious intent behind what occurred. Exactly how the headscarf was removed was not depicted in the video, but we know it was not the teacher who removed it," the statement read. "However, actions the teacher did take -- including taking video and posting it to social media --show a severe lack of judgment and a lack of cultural sensitivity."

The charter school continued that they were taking the incident as an opportunity to learn and hoped to improve in the future.