Tonja Luken, a now former teacher of Middlebury Community Schools (MCS) in Indiana, has come under fire after being photographed wearing a T-shirt with the number “8647” during a school field trip to Washington, D.C.
The number “8647” is unassuming to many, but in recent times has become associated with a coded phrase, where “86” is slang for “kill,” and “47” is a reference to Donald Trump being the 47th president.
“8647” came into the spotlight last month after former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey, posted a similar message on Instagram with the same numbers.
In Luken’s case, she had posted a picture depicting her beside a colleague outside the White House while wearing the now infamous shirt.
The photo was originally posted on Luken’s Facebook, and quickly caught the attention of many after being shared on X before being taken down.
The controversy prompted a response from MCS on Wednesday which read “Our policies require teachers to refrain from using their position to promote partisan political views… This prohibition applies to all teachers, regardless of their political leanings, and to every partisan political message, regardless of its content.”
Further within the statement, it was made known that MCS had begun an investigation regarding the matter.
On Thursday, MCS released an additional statement, revealing that “Earlier today, [MCS] completed its investigation into circumstances surrounding a teacher’s social media post. After the conclusion of the school corporation’s interview, when informed the school corporation would be commencing the cancellation of contract, the teacher submitted her immediate resignation. The teacher is no longer employed by the school corporation.”
The statement from MCS has been applauded by many for the school system’s focus on education instead of politics with one user on X stating “Could this set a precedent for keeping schools focused on education, not activism? Let’s see what happens next.”
The “8647” was spawned last month by former FBI Director James Comey’s notorious, thinly-veiled call for violence against President Donald Trump.
“We are now dealing with copycats, sending cryptic threats to public figures, using the ‘86’ reference,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino reported in a social media post notifying potential copycats that they’ll be investigated – regardless of whether or not their posts are actual threats