A Louisiana public school principal has apologized and requested leave for punishing a student and questioning her religious beliefs after he saw a video of her dancing at an off-campus party.

The 17-year-old student government president and scholarship candidate was videotaped dancing at an off-campus party following Walker High School’s Sept. 30 Homecoming festivities. A hired DJ took the video and posted it on social media. Three days later, Jason St. Pierre, principal of the public high school near the state capital of Baton Rouge, told the student she would be removed from her position with the student government association and that he would no longer recommend her for college scholarships.

At a meeting in his office with the assistant principal, St. Pierre told the student she wasn’t “living in the Lord’s way,” her mother said, according to The Advocate. He printed out Bible verses with highlighted sections and “questioned who her friends were and if they followed the Lord,” the news outlet reported.

In a statement published Sunday on the Livingston Parish Public Schools district Facebook page, St. Pierre reversed course. Citing the significant public attention the episode had received and more time to consider his decision, the principal apologized to the student’s family and undid his previous disciplinary plans. He also addressed his invocation of religion.

    • @CmdrShepardEnglish
      57•9 months ago

      Not only that, but a girl who clearly has her shit together and is doing all the right things to be elected class president and scholarship candidate.

      • @stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml
        40•9 months ago

        You’re not stating just how bad this is. He worked to RUIN the life of a student because of a single off campus activity that in no way is related to academics. He’s only changed course because his phone is blowing up with people calling out his stupidity.

      • @ShunkW@lemmy.world
        17•9 months ago

        Just one thing - if it’s anything like my experience in school, being class president just means you’re popular. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re put together. And pretty much every student in my class was a “scholarship candidate”.

        Doesn’t excuse his actions though.

        • @stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml
          6•9 months ago

          I’m afraid that you’ve missed the point here: life is a popularity contest and this is training for becoming a business or tech bro.

          • @callouscomic@lemm.eeEnglish
            4•9 months ago

            Some people actually have skills and use them. The rest say it’s a popularity contest and talk about “its not what you know, it’s who you know” in order to make themselves feel better.