Several people voiced support for Ansonia High School Principal Terri Goldson at a school board meeting Wednesday, Fox 61 reported.
Goldson was put on leave last month after his Twitter account “liked” a 28-second pornographic video.
School officials have not said the Twitter “like” was the reason Goldson was put on leave, only that an investigation is under way.
The Board of Education discussed the matter for about an hour behind closed doors during a meeting Dec. 28, according to the CT Post.
In a public Facebook Dec. 19 post he acknowledged the Twitter situation and indicated it was an accident.
“There was a very inappropriate video with sexual content on my Twitter feed today. Please … be careful with social media,” he wrote.
Goldson’s Facebook page has since been inundated with messages of support from community members.
At Wednesday’s monthly school board meeting, several people told the school board they supported Goldson, who has worked in the city’s public schools since 1987.
Goldson’s family also has a long history of public service in Ansonia.
Valley NAACP President Greg Johnson was one of the people who spoke on Goldson’s behalf.
“We don’t know if his account was compromised, we don’t know what the situation is in regards to his Twitter account but everyone who follows him on Facebook or Twitter knows that he’s a family man,” Johnson told Fox 61.
“He’s a hero in our eyes, with many students here in Ansonia, and past students who he’s touched through not only academics but sports and being a mentor,” he said.
Sherrod McNeill, the principal at Stratford’s Franklin Elementary, is a former administrator in Ansonia, where he won state and national awards for his work.
He called Goldson a mentor.
“Terri Goldson is responsible for my entire career,” McNeill told Fox 61.
“It is evident by the turn out of this evening’s audience, that this gentleman’s impact on our great community has been immense,” McNeill said at the podium.
