A high school teacher in Mesa, Arizona, has been suspended from his job after allegedly dressing up as the devil and greeting students with "Hail Satan".
The teacher, who has not been named, was reported by a Christian student and his father after allegedly waving a pitchfork over students' heads repeatedly after they asked him to stop, while wearing devil horns.
Mesa High School sophomore Nathaniel Hamlet told 12 News that he had been upset by the teacher's actions due to his faith and had told his father, who reported it to the school.
He told the news outlet: "Some people thought it was funny, some people didn’t like it, some people were like 'whatever,' they just blew it off. I said, 'Don’t do that to me' and I pushed it [the pitchfork] away maybe three or four times, and he still said it and still did it."
Nathaniel's dad, Chris Hamlet, who is a former Mesa Public School board candidate, reported the incident to the principal,telling the outlet: "Of course, I was livid because I am a Christian as well. What really tipped it over for me is, he kept telling him no, and the teacher kept persisting."
The teacher, who has not been identified, was not in the classroom the following day and has not been back since the alleged incident on Wednesday. It is not known whether he dressed up in honor of Halloween or the school's spirit week.
Mesa Public Schools said that the teacher had been put on paid administrative leave while an investigation was conducted.
Nathaniel said of the decision: "I feel like that’s fair, but he did it repeatedly to everyone, so I feel like he should probably get fired."
His father added: "I don’t think it’s OK, joking or not. If you’re gonna keep the Christian stuff out, then you got to keep the devil-worshipping stuff out."
Other parents who wished to remain anonymous told 12 News that while they didn't agree with the teacher's actions, they didn't believe he should be fired over the incident.
The district said in a statement: "Mesa Public Schools administration was notified of the alleged incident at Mesa High School late Wednesday afternoon after school hours.
"Our Human Resources department began the investigation Thursday morning and placed the teacher on paid administrative leave pending the result of the investigation. The investigation remains ongoing."
The teacher told the outlet that he had worn the costume as part of a Halloween-themed Spirit Week, explaining: "Participating in spirit weeks like this is a way for me to engage with my students and bring fun to my classroom. It’s truly not any more complicated than that."
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