Iowa teacher placed on leave after ‘sniper rifle’ comment about Thunberg visit

An Iowa teacher has been placed on leave after remarking on Facebook that he did not have his “sniper rifle” for a visit by teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg.

A spokeswoman for Waterloo Community School District confirmed to The Hill that the teacher, identified in local media reports as Matt Baish, had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

“The nature of the content shared rose to the level of putting this employee on administrative leave pending an investigation,” Waterloo Community School District spokeswoman Tara Thomas confirmed to The Hill.

“We appreciate your patience as we sort through the details and thank you for respecting the process,” she said.{mosads} 

Baish, who is listed as a science teacher on the Waterloo West High School’s website, was placed on administrative leave after responding to a Facebook post about Thunberg visiting Iowa City this week, a local ABC affiliate reported.

Responding to the post, which asked who was going to the event, the teacher allegedly wrote, “Don’t have my sniper rifle.”

Thunberg will be in Iowa City on Friday to join local activists at a climate strike. She will speak at the event, while Iowa City police are expected to have heightened security, ABC9 reported.

A message was also sent to the school’s staff and families, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported.

“We wanted to make you aware of a social media situation involving one of our employees. The nature of the content shared rose to the level of putting this employee on administrative leave pending an investigation. We appreciate your patience as we sort through the details and thank you for respecting the process,” the message said.