Teacher who criticized his 'woke' private school is told to stay home

The New York City math teacher who publicly blasted his $57,000-per-year private school for indoctrinating students with 'anti-racism' ideology, has been ordered to stay home next week, just a day after his employer insisted he wouldn't be punished for speaking out.

Grace Church School teacher Paul Rossi on Friday revealed that he will have to teach remotely rather than return to his classroom at the elite prep school in Manhattan's East Village Monday.

Rossi told DailyMail.com he received an email from school Principal George P. Davison this morning saying he should stay home until further notice for 'security concerns.'

'They said they were not punishing me, but this feels like punishment,' the school teacher said. 'I want to go to the school and teach, but they want me to stay home next week.

'They're citing safety concerns at the school in order to prevent me from coming to teach. It's not my concern, it's theirs.'

Rossi drew media attention earlier this week after publishing a blog post accusing the school of indoctrinating students with 'anti-racism' ideology that 'induces shame' in white students for being 'oppressors'.

He said he decided to come forward because he could no longer stay silent while 'witnessing the harmful impact' that anti-racism instruction has on children.

Principal Davison addressed the scathing post in a letter to parents and staff Tuesday saying he was 'disappointed' the teacher had chosen to air his 'differences' in a public forum.

Topher Nichols, chief communications officer for Grace Church School, however, told DailyMail.com Thursday that Rossi wouldn't be fired or face discipline for his post.

Nichols noted the high school building has been closed this week for 'community week' - when students participate in field trips - but said Rossi was invited and expected to return Monday when it reopens for classes.

'He certainly has not been let go,' Nichols said. 'He's not fired. We respect all of our teachers have a first amendment right.

'If he chooses to go to the press, we're not going to discipline and fire him over it. We do have an internal grievance procedure which we would have preferred him to use.'

'I know they told you I'm not fired,' Rossi told DailyMail.com. 'I want to be here Monday.'

'I don't like to teach remotely. I want to go to school and teach in front of students.

'I think it's ridiculous that they can't maintain order and security at their own school. I told them specifically I do not feel unsafe, that I would like to go teach.'

When asked about the development Friday, Nichols told DailyMail.com: 'We have had numerous students and parents express unease and discomfort about being in Mr. Rossi's class.

'And as we would do with any teacher who has students who've expressed this, we are asking him to work remotely, as many of our teachers are doing this year due to Covid.'

Asked when Rossi may be allowed to return, the spokesman said: 'There's no timetable. We've asked him to work remotely until we sort it out.'

Rossi said the only 'security concerns' he's aware of involve a member of the school community who responded to his essay with nasty emails threatening to destroy his career.

The math teacher said he shared the 'menacing emails' with Davison but told him that he felt safe returning to class. The principal, however, did not allow it.

Rossi's lawyer Samantha Harris told DailyMail.com she believes the school is using the threatening emails as a pretext to force him out.

'I believe that the school's professed concern about the menacing emails that Paul received was really just an excuse to get him out of the classroom for criticizing the administration,' said Harris.

'This is very typical that an institution will profess support for free speech and say they're not firing someone, then hollow out their career until there's nothing left.'

Grace Church School, which has two campuses in lower Manhattan that caters for grade and high school students, is where a number of celebrities send their children.

The grade school campus, in particular, has a security guard dressed in a business suit patrolling the sidewalk every morning and afternoon as SUV after SUV rolls through to drop off or pick up students. Nannies are also often spotted crowding the sidewalk around pick-up time.

DailyMail.com observed at least three staff members outside the school on Thursday morning greeting grade school students as they arrived.

It is the same elite private school that was slammed last month after it emerged students were being banned from using the words mom and dad and Merry Christmas in a bid to make it a more 'inclusive' place.

In his letter to parents, Davison did not name Rossi, and failed to address any of the claims made in his blog.

He said the school had 'respect for the wide spectrum of political views that our faculty members hold' but it was their expectation that staff would find 'appropriate venues and times to raise concerns'.

'As you may be aware, a member of the faculty wrote and posted an article that is critical of Grace and of our efforts to build a school where everyone feels they belong,' his letter said.

'The process of building a community is often challenging, and I am disappointed that this individual felt it necessary to air his differences in this way.

'We have always held the goal of fostering an environment that is safe and welcoming for all members of the community across a myriad of differences. This is a work in progress, and while we are not always as successful as we would hope, we know that it requires the constructive engagement of everyone in the community.'

A spokesman for the school said they did not intend to fired or discipline Rossi in any way for going public with his criticisms.

The assurances come amid a wave of cancel culture in recent months.

Rossi had acknowledged in his blog post, which was published on former New York Times opinion writer Bari Weiss's Substack newsletter, that his public ... (Read more)

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