Dallas teacher accused of ties to white supremacist group put on leave, officials say
A teacher with the Dallas Independent School District has been placed on leave pending an investigation into his alleged involvement with a neo-Nazi and white supremacist group known as Identity Evropa, according to reports.
The teacher has been identified as Stephen Arnquist, according to a report from Fort Worth Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
In a statement to local media, the Dallas ISD said officials were “made aware of information circulating regarding alleged social media posts and comments by a Skyline High School teacher. The employee has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation. The teacher joined the Skyline staff in August 2018.”
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram attempted to reach Arnquist but was not successful.
Arnquist came under investigation when an online watchdog group posted comments that the teacher is accused of making online.
Identity Evropa was formed in 2016 and is designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Members of the group helped plan the deadly 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, the center said.
The group’s internal chats were released last month by Unicorn Riot, a nonprofit news website, which ultimately tied the alleged chats to Arnquist.
More than 90 percent of Skyline High School students are minorities, according to WFAA, and one message that Arnquist is alleged to have written said, “The school is 40% black, 60% Hispanic school. The school was 90% white back in the 70s. Walking down the hall by the auditorium looking at the band, choir, etc, photos year by year, it’s...it’s not fun.”
The station also reported that another comment said, “They are somewhat high tier blacks and Hispanics, (talented 10th) but they’re still unimpressive compared to mostly white classes I observed in neighboring districts.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2019 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Dallas teacher accused of ties to white supremacist group put on leave, officials say."
