I just thought it was a.
It was a done deal until I got a phone
call yesterday saying to come back.
That is Marie Free Slavin,
now back at North High School as
principal after being told three days
ago she was being placed on leave.
It has been a tumultuous 72 hours
since we ended our show Friday with
Mary's News that she was out as
the leader of North high out why?
Because she knowingly and admittedly
supported and educated her
students about a school walkout
and joined them in it months ago.
Doing that, she knew then and knows now
was a violation of district policy.
And so on.
Friday, when she was told to turn her
stuff in and not return, she complied.
Until this morning when she was
back on the job after a weekend
of thousands of people saying no,
no, no, you cannot let Mari go
silent until now was Mari.
The pain,
the story of Marie's dismissal
from North High School,
abruptly on Friday,
began well before I was informed
last Friday, not this past Friday
but last Friday that I was being
recommended for termination.
And she knew news was coming because
she said she's been under investigation
by the district for months.
I had known since February
that I was going to be.
You know how held accountable
for walking out with my students
for violating that protocol,
Mary said in her letter she released
on Friday telling her students,
staff and parents she was being
let go that the reason was that
walk out this past winter when her
students planned and she supported
after a Minneapolis police officer
shot and killed a mere lock.
And I think the biggest thing that
stuck out about the Amir lock
shooting for me and my students.
Is not necessarily the shooting,
but I don't know if you remember,
but there was it kind of felt like.
Our city leadership wasn't being
honest about the shooting the
the that day and so that really
stuck that stuck with me and that
stuck with the kids a lot because
we had built kind of a ongoing
relationship with city leadership.
Marie said she came to school days after
that shooting and her kids told her
they felt betrayed by the city after
working for so long to build trust.
Having a murloc be shot and killed
was one thing, but then being told,
you know he was a suspect or you know.
It was just it felt like the IT
felt like it took some time to
get the truth out and that's
what kept sitting right with us.
She said her students were angry and
so she created a teachable moment about
black history and peaceful protests
and signs and amplified voices.
And she said after that her students
decided they wanted a walkout like that
and she told them she would go with them.
A walkout is considered an
act of civil disobedience.
And as a principal I cannot.
I am outside of my my realm in
encouraging it or participating in it,
and so it was made very clear to me
that I was going to pay the price,
pay the price with her job.
She said she knew that was always
possible and I wanted to know why she
would go so far to pay that price.
This, like fire inside of me. That felt like.
You be authentic.
You told them you would go with them.
Be good for your word.
Don't be one more adult that
is more afraid of some sort
of professional repercussions.
Then saying that they'll do what
they say they're going to do.
That part is all history now.
She sat in her office at
North High School today.
Somewhat confused, because again,
72 hours ago she was told
to leave it. I didn't
think I would ever be back in this.
School or room again,
but back. She came after the district
seems to have walked backward on
telling her to not finish the year.
They asked her back on Sunday.
She said she accepted,
but it's tough to come back to a
job three days after being told not
to and after telling the district,
she said for months she would never resign.
I was very clear.
I said I'm not resigning because how
could I possibly walk away from these
children right now if these kids
don't have an exit ramp? Neither do I.
That's just all there is to it.
Neither do I if I'm, you know,
walked out forced out,
so be it, so be it.
But they're not going to have in
their minds that the woman who says
to them every morning how wonderful
and perfectly made they are,
and how proud I am to be their
principal is going to be like douces.
I've got a resume to protect like
I would never do that to them.
So Mari is back at school for one
month to end this school year.
With these students, she's not resigning.
Will she be fired? We don't know yet.
The investigation of her actions
resumes when the school year ends.
I asked if she is found Mari.
If you were found fit to stay
on at North High, will you stay?
She didn't hesitate,
she said yes. Yes I will.