Chester County school board president resigns after joke about George Floyd’s death

The president of a Chester County school board has resigned amid backlash for his social media post joking about George Floyd’s death.

Karel Minor, president of the Owen J. Roberts school board, said Wednesday night that an apology was “wholly inadequate” and that he would resign immediately.

In a screenshot that had been circulating online, Minor responded to a Facebook post with the comment, “She’s got her knee on life’s neck like it’s a minority in Minnesota. That’s probably too soon.” Floyd died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck, setting off a firestorm of protests against racism and police brutality across the country.

It wasn’t clear exactly what Minor had been responding to. The screenshot, shared on Facebook by a man who said he worked for the school district, showed Minor had replied to another comment that read in part, “Congratulations! It’s been a privilege to see you grow and excel. The world is yours.”

In an email Thursday, Minor declined to elaborate on his post or agree to an interview.

In a Facebook post announcing his resignation, Minor said his comment “was stripped of its context as part of a discussion with a friend about white privilege, my disgust for police brutality, and was intended to mean exactly the opposite of the words used.” But, he said, “out of context the statement is horrific.”

» READ MORE: Head of Pa. charter schools group steps down after posting that Floyd protesters ‘disgust me’

Messages sent to the man who had shared the screenshot of Minor’s comment were not returned Thursday.

Owen J. Roberts spans seven townships in northern and western Chester County. Of its 5,500 students, 82% are white. The other students are Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, and black.

The district’s teachers union on Wednesday called on Minor to resign, saying “his shockingly intolerant statement contradicts the foundations of public education and serves only to deepen wounds in our communities.”

Earlier this week, a Delaware County school board president acknowledged sharing “tasteless” memes on his Facebook page — including posts denigrating Mexican immigrants and people objecting to mistreatment by the police.

The Penn-Delco board president, Leon Armour, apologized to those offended but said his posts were “only meant to be humorous.” The district posted a statement from Armour on its website, while some people began circulating an online petition demanding his resignation.