Billings schools to investigate 'appalling' social media posts on account linked to principal

[Ptah]

Billings Public Schools will investigate the use of a social media account laced with highly offensive posts by a school principal.

Superintendent Greg Upham called posts on the Facebook account of Mike Hofmann, the husband of Medicine Crow principal Nikki Hofmann, "appalling," during a live video posted Tuesday.

The posts gained attention after being highlighted by the Facebook page for Not In Our Town Billings, a group with 3,000-plus followers that advocates for progressive causes and in particular against hate speech.

The account appears to largely represent Mike Hofmann, but is occasionally used by Nikki Hofmann to communicate in her role as principal through posts to Medicine Crow pages about school operations.

Many posts on Hofmann's page repeatedly demean Democrats, the Black Lives Matter movement and Muslims. For example, one post includes an image of a Muslim man photoshopped with pigs' ears and a snout, a reference to Islam's prohibition on eating pork. Another post includes the text, "It hurts the poor Muslim's (sic) feelings? Well whoopty doo... this ain't Arabia meathead."

https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/billings-schools-to-investigate-appalling-social-media-posts-on-account-linked-to-principal/article_c8ef24d9-958a-5e32-9959-cdabeed994ff.html