Earlier this month, we wrote about Sharon Burns, a Canadian high school principal who was being pressured to transfer to another school via a Change.org petition by some ‘concerned’ parents. Sharon’s crime? Posting a photo of a fan sign she’d made for an Iron Maiden concert, which contained the number ‘666’ on it. Now, not only has the petition been closed, but it’s been revealed that Sharon ain’t going anywhere!
The original petition against Sharon stated, “Our school is based on inclusion, and openly displaying Satanic symbols (on a public social media platform) that directly goes against the principles of the vast majority of families who represent the school, is not inclusive” For the record, that’s not really what inclusivity is, but way to try and twist a valuable concept to your cause.
Upon, we assume, getting a lot of flack for their bullshit petition, the creators updated their page, writing, “Please Note: This petition is not about Sharon Burns’ love for Iron Maiden. At no point has it ever been. This petition is about a principal of a school openly displaying her own handmade sign with the 666 clearly displayed on it which she knows full well what that Satanic symbol means to the vast majority of families in her school…Nobody cares what band she likes and this is not about her choice in what she listens to. That would be petty and nonsensical.”
But as reported by Ultimate Classic Rock, soon after Burn’s story went viral, several students started their own petition titled ‘We Need Mrs. Burns,’ describing the educator as “probably one of the best and most enthusiastic principals the school has ever had” and saying, “She has made Eden [High School] a safe space for so many people. She spreads nothing but love and kindness.”
After hearing both sides of the case, the District School Board of Niagara chose against enforcing any form of policy change or disciplinary action.
Kim Sweeney, chief communications officer for the school board, told Canada’s National Post, “As you can imagine, Principal Burns, like all of us, is quite surprised by how her Instagram post led to two petitions and grew to be a topic of interest around the world. We know Ms. Burns as a passionate and dedicated educator who is happiest when she can focus on and connect with her students.”
Everyone at The Pit raises our horns to Sharon. Thank you for being an impassioned educator who’s teaching the next generation to judge people by what they do, not what they listen to or what goofy satanic imagery they post online from time to time.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
