by Kandiss Edwards
October 4, 2025
Lengthy Seaside, Calif., instructor John Solomon denies the allegations, claiming his cellphone was hacked.
John Solomon, a instructor within the Lengthy Seaside Unified College District, has been positioned on administrative depart after allegedly sharing a racist and ableist picture of a Black baby.
The picture depicted a younger boy carrying an ankle monitor was shared in a gaggle chat with Lecturers Affiliation of Lengthy Seaside members (TLAB). The picture was captioned “My First Ankle Monitor” and included commentary from Solomon suggesting “runners,” a time period used to mock particular training college students, ought to put on the system.
Solomon, who teaches at MacArthur Elementary College in Lakewood and in addition serves as secretary for the TALB, has denied the allegations, claiming his cellphone was hacked. An inner union fee discovered that rationalization to be “not credible,” the Lengthy Seaside Put up reported. Members of the bargaining group report that the picture was traced to Solomon’s quantity and that a number of recipients preserved screenshots of the message.
Solomon’s legal professional known as the accusations defamatory and indicated he could pursue authorized motion because of the Union’s public sharing of investigation particulars. Union information present that Solomon earlier resigned from the bargaining committee however has refused to relinquish his function as secretary. The manager board reportedly lacks the authority to take away him with out a petition or his resignation.
The Lengthy Seaside Put up experiences on the discourse surrounding the incident at a current TALB assembly. Trainer Manar Totonji urged colleagues to signal a recall petition, citing the alleged message as “repugnant and racist.” Tonoji believes it’s in TALB’s finest curiosity to completely sever ties from Solomon and his actions.
“There’s collective shame and disgrace that we have to separate ourselves from,” Totonji stated.
Totonji stated eradicating Solomon is important for union management to uphold accountability and belief. With the intention to circumvent the necessity for Solomon’s resignation, 1 / 4 of the union’s 3,700 members would have to signal the petition, triggering a particular election.
Native elected officers have additionally weighed in on the controversy. State Senator Lena A. Gonzalez posted a press release on Instagram urging the Lengthy Seaside College District to conduct its personal investigation. The district beforehand claimed that Solomon’s actions as a TLAB member had been exterior the scope of their powers.
“Racist, disparaging feedback about any baby in our Lengthy Seaside faculties ought to by no means be tolerated. However studying concerning the racist textual content and picture shared by an LBUSD instructor, who is meant to have the belief of colleagues, college students, and fogeys, is horrendous.
The TALB three-member investigative fee concluded that Solomon’s protection lacked credibility, noting that the message originated from his quantity and that he continued sending messages from that very same quantity. The fee discovered that the proof supporting Solomon’s declare of hacking was weak and inconsistent.
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