After being elected Teacher of the Month, a Michigan lady lost her employment at a high school in February because to her rap career. Domonique Brown, often known as Drippin’ Honey, used to teach history at Taylor Preparatory High School, as reported by WXYZ.
Brown, a seven-year teaching veteran, had worked at the high school since August. The teacher/rapper claimed her termination was due to a parent viewing one of her music videos.
“The first meeting that I had with, like the principal and the dean, they had told me that the parent wished to stay anonymous and she felt as if she didn’t like my rap career and that I was a bad influence on the kids because I rap,” Brown said.
Brown reported receiving an ultimatum from school officials to remove all of her content or risk losing her employment. “My intellect and heart were telling me two things. I couldn’t imagine giving up my other interest just because someone didn’t like it and said, ‘Erase all your content.’ This was the ultimatum. Erase all of your material. I was like, ‘Respectfully, I can’t do that,'” she explained.
Despite having foul lyrics in her songs, Brown maintains that it has not negatively impacted Taylor Prep and her ability to motivate students and community.
“The talks were really one-sided, and they only told me what someone didn’t like. They did not tell me, as if to say, “You did this wrong.” “You did that wrong.” “I also [said] on my behalf, ‘Well send me what am I doing wrong in writing,'” she told WXYZ in response to being questioned if the problem arose from her rap career or lyrics.
A parent who talked with the news site also expressed disappointment that Brown had lost her job. She stated that the educator had a positive impact on their children. Brown’s termination in February came after she was named Teacher of the Month in December.
“As parents, we wish for teachers who encourage and inspire our children, and she was one of those teachers. “So disappointed,” remarked Christina Lynn Lackley-Bah, who has seen Brown’s videos.
According to Lackley-Bah, Brown’s videos are comparable to other rap content available on social media for children. “What you do outside of the educational institution does not matter to me. Like, after you leave that building and move on with your life, you can do whatever you want,” she explained.
Brown mentioned how she has missed her pupils and her profession. “These kids have their own objectives and aspirations. “I’m just trying to see how I can help them,” she explained.
A spokeswoman for National Heritage Academies responded to her firing in a statement, saying, “While student and employee privacy rights limit the details I can share, what I can say is that we are aware of the alleged claims by a former teacher.”
According to the spokesman, “Student well-being remains at the forefront of everything we do, and we will continue fostering a distraction-free teaching and learning environment focused on student success.”
Brown contacted an attorney for assistance on her discharge. Brown shot a music video with cameos from her students on her last day of work. The song, named Drippin’ 101, has received over 30,000 views on YouTube.