By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                A Bronson Middle High School teacher who is also running for the Bronson Town Council was forced to take down an Instagram post last week that appeared to compare a Ku Klux Klan hood with a face mask.

            Sherrie Schuler, part of a well-known Bronson black family that has been in politics for years, was called into School Superintendent Chris Cowart’s office for a face-to-face conversation on Aug. 25 to explain why she made the Instagram post.

            The post, attached to this story, shows the image of what appears to be a KKK hood with the words, “Isn’t it strange they can breathe in this,” but at the bottom of the page is a photo of a face mask with the words, “But not this.”

            Schuler could not be reached for comment.

            Cowart said he called Schuler into his office because he wanted to understand what she meant by the post.

            “Her meaning was really health and safety. It wasn’t anything racial,” Cowart said. “I explained it probably wasn’t a good representative of what she was meaning, and she agreed to take down the post. I explained to her it wasn’t a good representation of what she was trying to share – her displeasure for not wearing masking to fight COVID.”

            Asked if he thought Schuler would repost something similar, Cowart said he hopes not.

            “You would hope having this conversation face to face it wouldn’t come to that, but stranger things have happened,” Cowart said.

            School Board Chairman Cameron Asbell said people had mentioned the Instagram post to him and, “They are very upset about it.”

            “A person has the right to proceed the way they want to, but at the same time people have the right to be offended or troubled by what you put out there,” Asbell said. “Some of us have a position or job that we’re in a fishbowl and we have to think about what we put there before we put it out.”

            Asbell asked if Schuler is running for the Bronson Town Council. The reporter confirmed that she is a candidate for the council.

            “That’s concerning,” Asbell said. “I have seen it and I see where people would be offended. Just because people wear a mask doesn’t mean they wear a hood. A person has the right to wear a mask or not wear a mask.”

            Asbell said he knows Schuler pulled down the post but nothing ever completely disappears from the internet

            “Somebody somewhere got to that. If it was me, I would apologize. I would say I didn’t mean to offend people. I don’t know what you could do to a person you don’t necessarily agree with. You can find out legally. Maybe all you can do is ask to take it down,” Asbell said.

            “I can see where it can be very offensive in our school system with our people. I don’t go by anyone’s color or anybody’s political thing. If you are good to me, I’m good to you. If you’re bad to me, we won’t get along. I could care less what race or preference you have, we’re all people. I don’t think there’s any place for racism or judgmental acts in our schools, so I can see how people would be offended by that,” Asbell said.

            School Board member Paige Brookins found the post inappropriate.

            “The post has been taken down and rightly so. I do not think this post is appropriate for anyone,” she said.

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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt August 30, 2021; Posted August 30, 2021