The Virginia Beach City Public Schools' superintendent and his wife apologized to staff and students, school board members, and the community Wednesday about a Facebook post that said President Donald Trump could "go and F**k himself."
Krista Spence included the message on her personal Facebook page on New Year's Day. She offered positive wishes to everyone except Trump.
Several people began sharing a picture of the post on Facebook and other social media platforms. Many criticized Spence. Others supported her right to express her opinion. Her husband, Dr. Aaron Spence, was pulled into the controversy which prompted him to release his own statement on Saturday, January 4.
In the joint statement that the couple put out Wednesday, Krista Spence said:
As his wife, I want to speak directly to our community: While Aaron has been the superintendent for over five years now and is very much the face of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, you very likely have not seen much of me during that time. That is intentional, as we try to maintain a healthy work-life balance at home, so I have devoted my time to our children and my career. These two worlds collided when I posted this message. I do want to be clear: Aaron did not make the post and he did not realize he was being tagged in it.
Dr. Spence reiterated that he defended his wife's right to free speech and self-expression but said he didn't "condone this type of language."
He went on to say that the post led to a "troubling time" for his family and that he recognized that because of his position it is "incumbent upon" him to "set the example for decorum in both public and private venues." He guaranteed that something like this would not happen again.
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Here is the full joint statement released by the Spences:
Recently concerns have been raised about a social media post written by Dr. Spence’s wife, Krista. The post contained provocative and partisan language. We understand that the post was upsetting, and that the language was offensive, and we apologize.
As his wife, I want to speak directly to our community: While Aaron has been the superintendent for over five years now and is very much the face of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, you very likely have not seen much of me during that time. That is intentional, as we try to maintain a healthy work-life balance at home, so I have devoted my time to our children and my career. These two worlds collided when I posted this message. I do want to be clear: Aaron did not make the post and he did not realize he was being tagged in it. I regret the misunderstanding that he had something to do with this, and I want to apologize to him for that.
As the Superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, I want to be clear about where I stand. While I defend my wife’s right to free speech and self-expression, it’s important to state that I don’t condone this type of language. I understand that I must serve as a role model for the students and teachers in our division and for our community as a whole and that I am judged not only by my own conduct but also by the conduct of those around me. As you can imagine, this has been a troubling time for me and my family. We have taken the opportunity to discuss and learn from each other about best practices when it comes to social media—lessons we regularly impart to the students of Virginia Beach. I know it is incumbent upon me to set the example for decorum in both public and private venues, and I can assure you this will not happen again. It is my hope that this will be instructive, not just for my own family but for all families as we think about what communication in this day and age means. What we say and where we say it matters.
Together, we want to apologize to the staff and students of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, to the members of the Virginia Beach School Board and to our community for the controversy this has created. It is our hope that we can all join in an effort to be an example of civility for one another, to be kind to one another, to think before posting on social media, and to continue to work toward making Virginia Beach the inclusive, supportive and safe community we want it to be for this and future generations.
Sincerely,
Aaron and Krista Spence