Kobe Bryant’s death was ‘karma,’ Washington principal said. Now she’s out on leave
A high school principal in Washington was placed on administrative leave and is apologizing after she implied Kobe Bryant’s death could have been karma, local media report.
A former NBA star, Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Jan. 26. The crash killed eight others, including his daughter Gianna. Hours after news of Bryant’s death, Camas High Principal Liza Sejkora shared her thoughts, The Columbian reported.
“Not gonna lie,” the principal said on Facebook, The Columbian said. “Seems to me that karma caught up with a rapist today.”
In 2003, Bryant was arrested and accused of raping a 19-year-old employee, according to the Associated Press. A sex assault charge was dropped, and a civil suit was settled out of court, the AP said.
Sejkora’s comments received lots of backlash, according to the Camas-Washougal Post-Record. She later deleted her post because “the comments missed (her) intent,” the Post-Record reported she said.
“I just deleted a post,” she wrote, according to the Post-Record. “It was deleted because the comments missed my intent. You are free to judge me for the post just as I am free to judge the person the post was about. Also — if you are shocked I speak my mind on my page, I am honestly surprised.”
The post was shared on social media even after it was deleted, the Post-Record reported. Many members of the community were outraged by her comments and voiced concerns to the school district.
Sejkora was placed on administrative leave, the school district told KATU on Wednesday. Students plan to walk out to protest the post, according to KATU.
“We’re still trying to gather all the information,” Camas School District Communications Director Doreen McKercher said to the Post-Record on Monday. “We’ve had a handful of complaints, from parents and at least one former student and a current student. It is something that is going around.”
After the backlash, Sejkora apologized, according to The Columbian. In an email that was sent to Camas High School families, she said her post was a “personal, visceral reaction” and that it was “inappropriate and tasteless,” The Columbian reported.
“After news broke (about) Kobe Bryant’s death, I made a comment to my private social media, which was a personal, visceral reaction,” Sejkora wrote, according to the Camas-Washougal Post-Record. “I want to apologize for suggesting that a person’s death is deserved. It was inappropriate and tasteless. Further, I apologize for the disruption it caused to our learning environment today.”
