Staff Reports
An assistant principal in Rhode Island reportedly asked faculty members to help a student who was trafficked into the US by a drug cartel by donating money.
In an email sent to her colleagues, the assistant principal of Mount Pleasant High School asked them to help a student with a debt to a "coyote." According to her, the boy was about $2,000 short of the money needed to settle the debt.
In the email, Harvey explained that the student came to the US with the group known as Coyote, which helps others. She said that the group gave a deadline of five years to settle the debt.
The student was required to raise the money in February. According to Harvey, the term coyote refers to smugglers who bring immigrants into the US for money.
It looks like Mount Pleasant High School in Rhode Island is soliciting donations from teachers to pay a debt to a cartel that trafficked a student. pic.twitter.com/1LcZuR051d
— Nicole Solas, Sued by the Teachers Union (@Nicoletta0602) January 27, 2023
Principal Tiffany Delaney of Mount Pleasant High School immediately shut down the fundraising campaign after it was widely circulated.
In a statement, Delaney said she was informed about the fundraising campaign, and she noted that the nature of it was inappropriate. She thanked the school's faculty and staff members for supporting the student, but the campaign was not appropriate.
This could have serious federal criminal law implications and any teacher who receives this email should immediately notify the union as to how to deal with it. They may have an obligation legally to report it to the police. @AGNeronha
— Nicole Solas, Sued by the Teachers Union (@Nicoletta0602) January 27, 2023
Initially, the school tried to downplay the significance of the fundraising campaign, saying that it was a fake email. It was also trying to figure out how the campaign was created. A school official noted that the student was not being human trafficked.
A school district official in Providence confirmed that the emails were authentic. He also said that a probe had been launched into the matter.
In a statement, Domings confirmed that the email that was circulated to Mount Pleasant High School's staff was authentic. The principal immediately took action to have the message withdrawn.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Headline USA.
