Virginia Teacher Says Encouraging Students to Behave is 'White Supremacy'; Netizens Want Him Out

A Virginia high school teacher is being slammed on social media after posting a TikTok video in which he argues that expecting students to behave, follow directions and sit quietly is 'the definition of white supremacy.'

Josh Thompson, an English teacher at Blacksburg High School in Montgomery County, is facing backlash online for claiming the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) model used in schools promotes 'White supremacy'. PBIS is an approach schools use to promote school safety and good behavior. With PBIS, schools teach kids about behavior expectations and strategies.

Thompson Says Expecting Kids to Behave is White Supremacy

In the video, Thompson said, "The idea of just sitting quiet and being told stuff and taking things in, in a passive stance, is not a thing that's in many cultures. So if we're positively enforcing these behaviors, we are by extension positively enforcing elements of white culture. Which therefore keeps whiteness at the center, which is the definition of white supremacy."

The video is reportedly pulled from his TikTok account as of Tuesday morning. A parody account named LibsofTikTok obtained the videos and uploaded the same to their Twitter account.

In the video which was originally posted in May, Thompson says, "I stated that PBIS is white supremacy with a hug and a lot of y'all wanted to know more about that . . . so if PBIS concerns itself with positive behaviors, we have to ask ourselves, "Okay well what are those positive behaviors?" And it's things like making sure that you're following directions, and making sure that you're sitting quietly, and you are in your seat and all these things that come from white culture."

School District Distances Itself from Thompson's Views

The Montgomery County School District told Fox News of the video that, "A teacher is entitled to their personal belief regarding any division program. The statements made by this teacher do not reflect our PBIS program or the behavioral expectations that we have of students in our schools."

The Teacher Sparked Outrage on Social Media

Many internet users saw the video as evidence for more parents to homeschool their kids. One Twitter user said, "That's an awfully racist thing to say. You let racists teach at Blacksburg High?" Another wrote, "Why is this sh*t continuing to be allowed in schools? This is so racist."

One person asked, "Who the f**k are these morons?" Another shared, "If you want to be an activist, fine. But you cannot be a teacher and an activist pushing your beliefs or ideology on children. This teacher is an idiot."

Some netizens said there should be cameras in the classrooms while others called for the teacher to be fired. One comment read, "There should be cameras with audio in EVERY classroom in this country. Parents have a right to know what their children are being taught, and should not have to rely on leaks or stumbling upon teacher's private social posts."