Washington high school principal placed on leave after Facebook post about Kobe Bryant

CAMAS, Wash. — A Washington state high school principal was placed on administrative leave Tuesday after comments she made on her personal Facebook page about the death of former NBA star Kobe Bryant.

“Not gonna lie. Seems to me that Karma caught up with a rapist today,” Liza Sejkora wrote Jan. 26, the day Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven other people died in a helicopter crash in California. The posted ended with a shrug emoji, KGW reported.

According to The Oregonian, Sejkora later deleted the post “because the comments missed my intent. You are free to judge me for the post just as I am free to judge the person the post was about,"

Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort in 2003, The Oregonian reported. Bryant claimed the sex was consensual and prosecutors later dropped felony assault charges, the newspaper reported. Bryant settled out of court in 2005 after the woman filed a civil suit for an unspecified amount, The Columbian reported.

In a statement Tuesday, Jeff Snell, superintendent for the Camas School district, said that "in light of threats to Dr. Liza Sejkora and concern from our community, Dr. Sejkora has been placed on administrative leave.”

“As a career educator, the only adult job I’ve ever had for 22 years, we try to teach kids to think before they act, think before they speak, think before they post,” Sejkora said Tuesday.

The principal apologized to parents and students in a letter, writing, “I made a comment to my private social media, which was a personal, visceral reaction. I want to apologize for suggesting that a person’s death is deserved. It was inappropriate and tasteless. Further, I apologize for the disruption it caused to our learning environment today.”

In his statement, Snell wrote the district appreciated Sejkora’s apology and will work to “support her in rebuilding trust with the community she serves.”

“As school district staff, we strive to model a high standard for students,” Snell wrote. “This situation did not meet that standard.”

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