Friday, 15 December 2023

High School Principal Deletes Account After Posting Bizarre “Still Smiling” Photo About Student Dying From Fentanyl

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 A high school principal in Northern Virginia’s Fairfax County first deleted a photo she posted on X Twitter this month–and then her account–after receiving a backlash over the photo and caption that celebrated herself for “still smiling” after one of her students died from fentanyl.

Tiffany Narcisse, principal at Justice High School (formerly J.E.B. Stuart High School) in Falls Church, apologized for the photo. The county school superintendent issued a statement saying she had spoken with Narcisse.

The post featured a photo of a beaming Narcisse holding a coffee mug with the word “Blessed” on it with the caption, “Losing a student is never easy for a building principal. Still smiling. Still standing. Still leading. Still teaching, learning, and growing. #JusticeStrong”

The 15-year-old sophomore was facetiming a friend in her apartment on the evening of December 3rd when she passed out. The student was not able to be saved when paramedics arrived.

 

According to a post by Libs of TikTok, outraged students printed copies of Narcisse’s post and hung them on the walls at school:

Narcisse’s account is gone:

But after first blocking critics:

Narcisse was appointed principal in 2021:

WUSA-TV reported on statements by Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid and Narcisse (excerpt):

“Justice High School recently suffered a devastating loss and we continue to grieve alongside the family of this young person who will be deeply missed.

Principal Narcisse made me aware of her social media post that drew significant criticism. In response to that criticism, she had since removed the post.

I subsequently spoke with Principal Narcisse, and I understand both the intent and the impact of the post as she explained it. I have addressed my concerns with her, and made clear my leadership expectations moving forward….

(Skip)

“Dear Justice HS Community,

As we prepare to take time away for our winter break, I hope that we will stay connected and continue to check in on each other as we process last week’s tragic loss of a student that has touched so many of us.

I want to take a moment to address a social media post I made last week. While my intent was to uplift our community, I now realize that instead it caused hurt and harmed the school community. For that, I am truly sorry…

Annandale Today reported last week on the death of the student (excerpt):

The Justice High School student who died of a fentanyl overdose on Dec. 3 has been identified as 10th-grader Madeline Valeria Moran Centeno.

PTSA President Kim Lanoue has reached out to her mother, Rachel. “Understandably, she is reeling, but hopes at some point to be able to share with us more about her precious child. On behalf of our community, the PTSA is working with Rachel to find the best ways to support her and her daughters.”

…Police report she was video chatting with a friend at an apartment in Seven Corners when she became unresponsive. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased.

…Justice Principal Tiffany Narcisse, meanwhile, has been widely criticized for posting a smiling selfie on Twitter that seemed to indicate the tragedy was all about her. The tweet said: “Losing a student is never easy for a building principal. Still smiling. Still standing. Still leading. Still teaching, learning, and growing.”

She subsequently posted on X: “Hi everyone. The previous tweet has been deleted. I apologize if anyone was offended. Thanks to everyone for the feedback.”

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