by Kendall Tietz
An Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) administrator was fired Monday for “sharing public files” with news outlets as well as recordings of a “Racial Justice Speaker Series” that was presented to students, according to a statement.
Tony Kinnett was fired from his job as District Science Coordinator & Instructional Coach for IPS for “Sharing that IPS recorded children in required racial justice sessions, not sending IPS the personal info of” two reporters, “quoting Dr. Payne’s racist comments to students” and for “sharing public files,” according to his Twitter.
Kinnett told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the HR team pulled him into several meetings that they repeatedly said were non-disciplinary, but he said at the meetings he was not allowed to speak freely, initially bring an attorney or record anything.
The DCNF obtained videos from Kinnett that disclosed the district’s social justice initiatives.
In one Jan. 15 video, Dr. Patricia Payne, the director of the IPS Racial Equity Office explained to students that their black peers are sometimes considered “less than” and encouraged students to “stop all this madness,” as part of a “Racial Justice Speaker Series” at an IPS middle school.
He said IPS continues to accuse him of misquoting Patricia Payne, which Kinnett denies.
“In a meeting I cited when the district adopted a very specific definition of racism,” Kinnett said. “Whenever Patricia pain cites the district’s definition of systemic racism, she is telling children that white people are to blame for their problems, because that’s the district’s adopted definition from white fragility. They refuse to acknowledge it … they’re very set on saying that I am misquoting her.”
In another video, Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists told students that they live in a “misogynistic, masculine society” that claims “women should stay at home” to cook and clean and that there is “white supremacy and capitalism,” which “really harms black and brown people.”
Indianapolis Public Schools just fired me for:
• Sharing that IPS recorded children in required racial justice sessions
• Not sending IPS the personal info of @TietzKendall and @AndyMarkMiller
• Quoting Dr. Payne’s racist comments to students
• Sharing public files
Indianapolis Public Schools just fired me for:
• Sharing that IPS recorded children in required racial justice sessions
• Not sending IPS the personal info of @TietzKendall and @AndyMarkMiller
• Quoting Dr. Payne's racist comments to students
• Sharing public files— Tony Kinnett (@TheTonus) December 20, 2021
IPS said that by saving and sharing IPS files, he has used district materials to advance his private interests and violated its technology agreement, according to Kinnett.
Kinnett first attracted attention after he posted a video to Twitter, where he said teachers are told to teach students differently based on their skin color and that every problem is the result of “white men” and “that everything western civilization builds is racist, capitalism as a tool of white supremacy.”
IPS also “told principals at the beginning of the year that if a parent asked if you’re teaching Critical Race Theory in your school, you tell them no,” Kinnett told the DCNF.
CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.
“It’s embarrassing that I worked for a district and I put so much time and effort into a district that fires teachers for holding different political views,” Kinnett told the DCNF.
He said he could not currently say what, if any, legal actions would be pursued, but that his legal team is exploring options.
“We’re taking a look at what is not only best for me and my family in this situation, but also the community as well,” he said. “We’ve been in touch with the Attorney General’s office in Indianapolis. Let’s just say that Indianapolis is not out of the woods yet.
“As a district policy, IPS does not discuss personnel matters,” a district spokesperson told the DCNF.
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Kendall Tietz is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Tony Kinnett” by Tony Kinnett.
