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"The book is the creative property of Mr. Hauser and is not tied with the district, its curriculum or instructional materials -- yet the attention it brought him and the book's implied message has been a distraction to his colleagues across Denton ISD," the statement said.

He will be reassigned to a yet-to-be-determined role that will not involve beinga campus administrator or educator, the district said.

"Due to the controversy surrounding the book I have published, I think it's best that I not serve as assistant principal at Rodriguez," Hauser said in the statement. "The students, the community and the teachers are too important to me to subject them to all the negativity and disapproval resulting from this book. To my colleagues, I offer my deepest apologies if this has affected them or their families in any negative way."

The district did not learn about the book until last week, when Hauser contacted adminstrators about it, Denton ISD spokesman Mario Zavala said.

Pepe the Frog has been used in recent years by the "alt-right," a racist movement whose name was coined by Dallas native Richard Spencer.

Read the original:
Denton ISD assistant principal removed for conservative children's book featuring Pepe the Frog - Dallas News (blog)

In response to asking what he thinks of Trump's presidency, Hauser said, "You can support somebody but not always agree everything they do." He saidhe supports the direction the country is headed and that he is very patriotic.

The book's online summary on Amazon describes the story:

"Pepe the Frog and his best friend Centipede unite as one as they fight to restore law and order, and bring freedom back to Wishington Farm. This is an adventurous tale for all ages packed with patriotic prominence!"

Hauser didn't want to discuss too many of the plot points, but said the following themes are reflected in the book: honesty, teamwork, being pro-American, nationalism, unity andtruth.

Hauser told The Dallas Observer that he wrote the book "as an attempt to break down the barriers of political correctness."

"In Hauser's book, best friends Pepe and Pede celebrate a new farmer's arrival at the farm by imposing law and order on a bearded alligator character named Alkah," Stephen Young of The Dallas Observer reports."Pepe and Pede hurl 'blessed buds' toward Alkah and his 'minions,' 'raining truth' upon Wishington Farm."

Hauser has worked in different capacities in Denton ISD for more than 10 years.

His wife, Kelli, also works for the district and made headlines last year for her viral music video parody of Macklemore to pep students up for STAAR testing.

The districthadn't heard about the book until Thursday when Hauser contacted them about it, Denton ISD spokesman Mario Zavala said.

"Itdoesn't really apply to district curriculum. It's something Mr. Hauser wanted to do on a personal level," he said.

Zavala said Hauser told him that his daughter kept having nightmares about a bearded alligator so he thought writing the story was a good way to help her through a rough time.

"He wasn't aware of the character's affiliation," Zavala said. "You have a dad trying to do something positive and was a bit nave."

Anything can be taken out of context, Zavala said, which is a lesson Hauser's learning through this process.

Hauser said he doesn't have plans to change anything now that he's aware of Pepe's white supremacist connection.

"I don't see Pepe as that at all," he said. "Pepe was not that. From what I know of Pepe that's not what he is and I think that was just a recent label, just from what I've learned, that was placed on Pepe and may be an attempt to silence a more conservative viewpoint."

See the article here:
Self-published 'Pepe the Frog' kids' book is conservative but not alt-right, Denton ISD admin says - Dallas News (blog)

A comparable incident occurred just this week, when a Texas middle school fired its assistant principal, Eric Hauser, after he published a children's book featuring the "popular white nationalist symbol," Pepe the Frog.

According to The Washington Post, the school district Superintendent Jamie Wilson released a statement encouraging free-thought and open expression, but said, "When these ideas interrupt the ability to learn, work or create divisiveness each of us is held accountable."

In other words, because the assistant principal's actions impeded the mission of the institution, Superintendent Wilson had grounds to fire him. It seems, then, in both public and private spheres, employees can be held accountable for their political speech.

As Gillian B. White points out in The Atlantic, the events in Charlottesville seem to reflect a disturbing trend in which white nationalists feel increasingly at ease openly expressing themselves, regardless of potential consequences.

"The hoods may be off," she writes, "but the torchbearers may not have jobs to come back to on Monday."

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Yes, your boss can fire you for being a white supremacist - CNBC

The Adventures of Pepe and Pede

The Adventures of Pepe and Pede

Texas assistant principal reassigned after writing alt-right kids' book

A Dallas-area assistant principal has been reassigned after authoring a children's book featuring alt-right messaging and characters.

Eric Hauser, an employee of Denton ISD, was removed from his positionMonday after district officials learned of his book, "The Adventures of Pepe and Pede." The book features a cartoon frog named Pepe, virtually identical to the character featured in racist and anti-Semitic memes, and writing with white nationalist overtones, according to multiple media reports.

In statements to The Dallas Morning News and Vice, Hauser has denied any connection between his book and racist messaging.

"I'm using Pepe just as a lighthearted way of expressing maybe some conservative values," Hauser told the Dallas Morning News. "I would say to people, 'Please try to look at this from a positive standpoint,' because that's the standpoint that I've written it from. And then obviously know that I'm not part of the alt-right."

EARLIER: Texas assistant principal writes 'Pepe the Frog' book

As Vice noted, Hauser reached out to Milo Yiannopoulos, an alt-right provocateur, to promote his work. The book was also published by Post Hill Press, which has distributed far-right works in the past.

In a statement announcing Hauser's reassignment, Denton ISD officials distanced themselves from Hauser personal work.

"The book is the creative property of Mr. Hauser and is not tied with the district, its curriculum or instructional materials -- yet the attention it has brought him and the book's implied message has been a distraction to his colleagues across Denton ISD," the statement read.

In the statement, Hauser said he "thinks it's best" that he not serve as an assistant principal.

"The students, the community, and the teachers are too important to me to subject them to all the negativity and disapproval resulting from this book," his statement read. "To my colleagues, I offer my deepest apologies if this has affected them or their families in any negative way."

District officials didn't say what role Hauser will take following his reassignment, but he will not serve as a campus administrator or educator.

See the article here:
Texas assistant principal reassigned after writing alt-right kids' book - Chron.com

Eric Hausers first book features some universal themes pretty standard childrens story fare, really. Its a tale of honesty and teamwork and friendship written by an assistant principal at a Texas middle school.

But his rosy description was at odds with the green-skinned protagonist who smiled at children from the books cover: Pepe the frog, a cartoon character thats been adopted as a mascot of the alt-right movement and associated with white nationalism.

On Monday, the book, which Hauser self-published on Aug. 1 before it was picked up by a conservative-leaning publishing house, cost the assistant principal his position.

The book features allusions that may go over some childrens heads. The setting is a farm called Wishington. The antagonist is a bearded alligator named Alkah. Astute readers will recognize Covfefe cliff. But perhaps the most inflammatory aspect is the smiling cartoon frog, whichNBC News has called a popular white nationalist symbol. Pede, the name of the cartoon centipede that also graces the books cover,is also a term members of a Donald Trump-themed Reddit board use to refer to each other.

Spoiler alerts ahead, but Pepe and his centipede sidekick Pede start the book ecstatic that the old farmer hasleft after eight years of oppression. But Alkah and his minions have entrenched themselves in a pond that very much resembles a swamp and are threatening to spread throughout all of Wishington Farm. Pepe and Pede have one weapon to vanguish the gator: buds from the honesty tree.

Denton Independent School District officials say they removed Hauser as assistant principal at Rodriguez Middle School days after word of his book and its protagonistspread on social media. That happened at the same time that a Charlottesville rally of neo-Nazis, white nationalists and Ku Klux Klan members descended into violent chaos that left three dead. The school district said Hausers book had become a distraction to the learning process.

School starts Wednesday at the district, which educates about 28,000 students from different ethnic, social and economic backgrounds, a school district news release said.

We pride ourselves on providing a welcoming and nurturing environment to all students. Our staff is reflective of the community we serve, where all individuals are respected, Superintendent Jamie Wilson said in the release. We encourage our staff and students to be free-thinking and express their ideas, however, when these ideas interrupt the ability to learn, work or create divisiveness each of us is held accountable.

[Cadillac condemns casting call that sought actors for alt-right (neo-nazi) role in a Cadillac ad]

Hauser declined to be interviewed by The Washington Post, instead directing questions to his publisher, Post Hill Press. He released a statement via the school district:

Due to the controversy surrounding the book I have published, I think its best that I not serve as assistant principal at Rodriguez, Hauser said. His publisher said hed be moved to a new role. The students, the community, and the teachers are too important to me to subject them to all the negativity and disapproval resulting from this book. To my colleagues, I offer my deepest apologies if this has affected them or their families in any negative way.

Illustration from The Adventures of Pepe and Pede by Eric Hauser. (Post Hill Press)

That was a change from Hausers earlier statements. He told Fort Worth NBC-affiliate KXAS that he was using Pepe just as a lighthearted way of expressing maybe some conservative values.

But, asThe Washington Posts Abby Ohlheiser wrote: The frogis talked about as a green manifestation of theInternets darkfringes, a mascot whose popularity there rivals that of Trumps. A Pepe avatar on Twitter is now generally read as asign of analt-right affiliation.

On Monday, Anthony Ziccardi, a spokesman for Post Hill Press, the conservative-leaning publishing house, defended the book, saying it espoused conservative values, but was not incendiary.

Theres no hidden messages here, Ziccardi said. Theres no hidden agenda.He created this character and he didnt realize all the backlash that was going to come from it and quite frankly, neither did I. Really, the ultimate theme is law and order.This is a feel-good story in support of good versus evil. And thats what we should be embracing.

[White supremacist stabs interracial couple after seeing them kiss at bar, police say]

According to his principal profile, Hauser started out teaching English and history at McMath Middle School in Denton, Tex. After seven years, he got a masters degree in education administration and become assistant principal at Ryan High School, then was hired at Rodriguez.

On the profile, he talked about being grateful for the opportunity to open the districts newest middle school.

Together, we will build a foundation of trust, tradition, and high expectations that will continue to inspire and support our current and future stakeholders for years to come, he wrote. I am honored and excited to be a part of this growing development, and I look forward to the lasting relationships we will build together.

Abby Ohlheiser contributed.

This post has been updated.

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She wanted to criticize Black Lives Matter in a college speech. A protest shut her down.

Continued here:
An assistant principal wrote a children's book about alt-right mascot Pepe the frog. It cost him his job. - Washington Post