About half the teachers at Fort Vancouver High School walked out of a morning staff meeting and left the job March 4 in reaction to offensive posts on an anonymous Instagram account. A statement issued by the striking teachers criticized the district and the school administration for not taking action.
According to The Columbian newspaper, posts included AI-generted photos of Fort Vancouver teachers inserted into videos with sexual and political references. For example, a picture of assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s face was superimposed over teachers faces. Other posts called a teacher the devil or showed a teacher holding an Israeli flag.
A leader of their union, Vancouver Education Association, said the walkout wasn’t authorized by the union, but that the union sympathized with teachers.
“Ongoing concerns cannot be ignored,” said a VEA statement posted online. “When threats impact a school community, immediate action isn’t optional — it’s essential. Our staff and students deserve better.”
Students were directed to assemble in the auditorium until substitutes could arrive. Teachers returned the following day.
The district reported the account, @fortvancouverteacher, to Instagram, and it was taken down the same day.
