John Locher/AP
- Students found a photo of the high school teacher showing support for Israel, the New York Post reported.
- Footage posted on TikTok appeared to show students running through their school halls.
- The teacher was put in a locked office while a group of students tried to enter her classroom.
Students flooded their school halls in protest over a teacher's Facebook profile photo, which showed her at a pro-Israel rally, the New York Post reported. Police were called to respond to the incident on Monday morning — and the teacher was placed in a locked office.
TikTok videos appear to show students at Hillcrest High School in Queens, New York, running through the school and jumping.
One senior at the school told the Post students planned the action in response to the teacher's photo. The Facebook photo, posted on TikTok, showed the teacher holding a sign saying "I stand with Israel."
"A bunch of kids decided to make a group chat, expose her, talk about it, and then talk about starting a riot," the senior said.
A group of students tried to enter the teacher's classroom, but they were stopped by school staff. The teacher was placed in a locked office by school administrators, the outlet reported.
"Everyone was yelling 'Free Palestine!'" a senior told The New York Post.
"They want her fired," said a ninth grader.
The New York Police Department said the school sergeant was requested to respond to a "disorderly group of students inside of the location."
Students "dispersed" after the school sergeant responded, the NYPD said. Once the police and school deans restored order, the teacher was escorted out of the school, the outlet said.
New York Mayor Eric Adams posted a statement on Saturday, on X, condemning the disturbance.
"The vile show of antisemitism at Hillcrest High School was motivated by ignorance-fueled hatred, plain and simple, and it will not be tolerated in any of our schools, let alone anywhere else in our city," he said.
In a statement to The New York Post, the teacher said she was "shaken to my core by the calls to violence against me that occurred online and outside my classroom."
"No one should ever feel unsafe at school — students and teachers alike," she said.