A retired New Jersey teacher who received death threats after editing a Donald Trump T-shirt out of a high school yearbook has now been awarded almost $420,000 in a settlement from the district, according to a report.
Susan Parsons insisted she was regularly ordered to make edits to photos at Wall Township High School, including making a “Trump Make America Great Again” shirt look like a plain blue one in 2017, the New York Post reports.
When the alteration sparked outrage, Ms Parsons was set up to “take the blame,” getting suspended and barred from talking to the media, she claimed in a lawsuit filed in May 2019.
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The school’s yearbook adviser – who said she voted for Trump in 2016 – received hate mail and death threats, her suit claimed.
The Wall Township school board approved the $A419,623 ($US325,000) settlement with Ms Parsons on Tuesday night, NJ.com said, citing a copy of the agreement obtained through an open records request.
The district made no admission of wrongdoing or liability, the outlet stated. It later reissued the yearbook with the original unaltered photo.
Ms Parsons, who has since retired, will receive about $A263,394 ($US204,000) and the remainder of the settlement will cover her lawyer fees, the agreement said.
Christopher J. Eibeler, Ms Parsons’ lawyer, declined to comment to NJ.com.
Cindy McChesney, the principal’s secretary Ms Parsons said ordered the censorship, has also since retired.
District Superintendent Tracy Handerhan – who was hired in 2020, long after the scandal and lawsuit – did not immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
