Tacoma Public Schools investigating teacher accused of hate group affiliation

TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma Public Schools announced Thursday that it is investigating one of its newly hired teachers after concerns from the community.

In a tweet, Tacoma Public Schools said it was aware of accusations one of its teachers was affiliated with the group Proud Boys, a right-wing political group the Southern Poverty Law Center has deemed a hate group.

“The District performs background and reference checks before hiring staff & this was the first the District heard about this teacher’s alleged affiliation,” Tacoma Public Schools said. The district has put the teacher on administrative leave. A source confirmed to KIRO 7 the teacher under investigation is Xane Fisher.

Prior to Tacoma, Fisher was an English teacher at Graham-Kapowsin High School in the Bethel District. Similar concerns were raised to that district who conducted an investigation in 2019. Documents obtained by KIRO 7 show a passionate letter written by Fisher stating ANTIFA had spread false accusations about his affiliation to Proud Boys. “Someone in that organization has stolen personal data from before I was a Bethel employee, fabricated a narrative, and manipulated the public sector’s due process to harass myself and my family over false accusations they created,” wrote Fisher. The letter goes on to say, “I am not a supremacist of any sort, nor am I a racist. The very accusation turns my stomach, and holds no credence.”

The Tacoma School District is set to start classes Sept. 9 with remote learning.

Cox Media Group