Arizona High School Teacher on Paid Leave After Dressing as Devil and Saying 'Hail Satan' During Halloween Week

Student Comfortable with Teacher's Halloween Costume Calls on School to Fire the Teacher, Mesa Public Schools Investigating Incident as Community Reacts to Teacher's Actions

An Arizona high school teacher was put on paid administrative leave after donning a devil costume, waving a pitchfork over students' heads, and saying 'Hail Satan' during a Halloween Spirit Week, despite having explained that he was participating in a 'dynamic duos' day with another teacher dressed as an angel.
Sophomore Nathaniel Hamlet reported feeling uncomfortable with the teacher's actions due to his Christian faith, stating that he pushed the pitchfork away several times and voiced his discomfort but the teacher persisted.
Nathaniel's father, Chris Hamlet, a Christian and a former candidate for the Mesa Public School board, reported the incident to the Mesa High School Principal, leading to an ongoing investigation.
The unidentified teacher defended their actions, stating that dressing up was a way to engage with students and bring fun to their classroom, reiterating they weren't aiming for anything more complicated.
While Nathaniel and his father call for the teacher's dismissal, other parents have expressed that they think firing the teacher over the incident might be too extreme.