A teacher’s apology for mocking disabled students on a podcast is now facing more backlash than before. Lauran Wooley, an online content creator and teacher, recently made insensitive comments about special education students on a popular podcast, “Teachers Off Duty.” Her comments and her apology have sparked an angry response from listeners.
During the podcast, Wooley and the co-host, Devin Siebold, made jokes about students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). She mockingly referred to them as dishonest and laughed when another panelist joked about students being ‘dumb.’ People have lambasted her comments, pointing out that children with learning and other disabilities often feel anxious or ashamed of their learning abilities.
In her apology, Wooley called herself human and flawed, but also denied the accuracy of the podcast clip. She stated that it did not reflect her beliefs and promised to be more mindful in her words. However, many thought that her apology was inadequate and insincere, believing the only suitable apology was not making such comments in the first place. Social media users called for her dismissal and demanded she take concrete action to better support her special education students. The podcast producers also apologized for the comments, affirming they were ‘in poor taste’ and ‘wrong.’
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Lauran Wooley teaches fifth grade and has a popular TikTok channel, @mrs.woolleyin5th. She is also an online content creator and a founding member of the podcast “Teachers Off Duty.” She is an advocate for advocacy and support for teachers, but has faced intense public scrutiny for her insensitive comments about disabled students. Wooley has since issued an apology, but has yet to address how she will better support the disabled students in her classroom.
