After bashing teachers and former officials on social media, school board member resigns

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Five days after being appointed to the Jefferson Parish School Board, Rafael Rafidi, who bashed teachers, cussed out former officials, and called COVID-19 the “China virus,” has resigned.

The school board asked for his resignation two days after appointing him to the position on Jan. 5 after District 6 board member Larry Dale resigned.

On Mon., Jan. 10, Rafidi submitted his letter of resignation:

When I was contacted about serving the people of Jefferson Parish as a school board member, I felt it was God’s will and I still do. Jefferson parish is my home. I raised my family here, and together with my wife of 32 years, it has been our life’s work to make this parish a better place for ALL. I love my country and am a steadfast patriot. My Palestinian and Honduran parents immigrated to this country with nothing but their faith and the American Dream. They raised me to be a devout Catholic, husband and father and to love my country for the freedom it provides. I recognize that some of my past social media posts, representative of my passion for our country, may have offended others. For that, I am sorry. In the past few days, I have come to realize that the school board’s efforts to serve the children of Jefferson Parish might be more effective if I stepped down. As such, I request you accept my resignation effective Monday, January 10, 2022.

Sincerely, Rafael Rafidi

After his nomination, Rafidi’s social media posts began to emerge.

In one Tweet From Aug. 2018, Rafidi called teachers “the fall of our young people.”

“No values, no work ethic, and just suck as much as you can from those that work hard,” the tweet continued. “Good job.”

“#chinavirus will magically disappear on Nov 4th,” a Facebook post from Sept. 2020 said.

“He presented himself as a family man of strong faith with a commitment to education,” the school board sent in a statement on Jan. 7.

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