California Teacher On Leave After Sharing Racist, Ableist Image Of Black Child

John Solomon, a teacher in the Long Beach Unified School District, has been placed on administrative leave after allegedly sharing a racist and ableist image of a Black child.

The image depicted a young boy wearing an ankle monitor and was shared in a group chat with members of the Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB). The image was captioned “My First Ankle Monitor” and included commentary from Solomon suggesting “runners,” a term used to mock special education students, should wear the device.

Solomon, who teaches at MacArthur Elementary School in Lakewood

forwp-incontent-ad1"> and also serves as secretary for the TALB, has denied the allegations, claiming his phone was hacked. An internal union commission found that explanation to be “not credible,” the Long Beach Post reported. Members of the bargaining team report that the image was traced to Solomon’s number and that multiple recipients preserved screenshots of the message.

Solomon’s attorney called the accusations defamatory and indicated he may pursue legal action due

to the Union’s public sharing of investigation details. Union records show that Solomon earlier resigned from the bargaining committee but has refused to relinquish his role as secretary. The executive board reportedly lacks the authority to remove him without a petition or his resignation. 

The Long Beach Post reports on the discourse surrounding the incident at a recent TALB meeting. Teacher Manar Totonji urged colleagues to sign a recall petition, citing the alleged message as “repugnant and racist.” Tonoji believes it is in TALB’s best interest to fully sever ties from Solomon and his actions.

“There’s collective disgrace and shame that we need to separate ourselves from,” Totonji said.

Totonji said removing Solomon is necessary for union leadership to uphold accountability and trust. In order to circumvent the need for Solomon’s resignation, a quarter of the union’s 3,700 members would need to sign the petition, triggering a special election.

Local elected officials have also weighed in on the controversy. State Sen. Lena A. Gonzalez posted a statement on Instagram urging the Long Beach School District to conduct its own investigation. The district previously claimed that Solomon’s actions as a TALB member were outside the scope of their powers.

“Racist, disparaging comments about any child in our Long Beach

schools should never be tolerated. But learning about the racist text and photo shared by an LBUSD teacher, who is supposed to have the trust of colleagues, students, and parents, is horrendous.”

The TALB three-member investigative commission concluded that Solomon’s defense lacked credibility, noting that the message originated from his number and that he continued sending messages from that same number. The commission found that the evidence supporting Solomon’s claim of hacking was weak and inconsistent.

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