At a San Jose elementary school concert, school board trustee and teacher Brian Wheatley went off-book and sang an unapproved, old-timey Christmas parody mentioning guns, which he’s reportedly sung over the years. The school principal swiftly cut him off and sent out an apology.
As NBC Bay Area reports, families of students at San Jose Unified School District’s Reed Elementary received an email apologizing for a controversial song that was sung by Wheatley during the school’s winter concert program Friday. Principal Jennifer Ponzio wrote in the email that Wheatley had requested to sing a song that wasn’t on the schedule, which Ponzio quickly deemed inappropriate upon hearing and jumped in.
“During the concert, which included eight classes, our Trustee requested to sing a song that was not part of the planned program,” Ponzio says in the email, per NBC Bay Area. “The song, which dates back to the 1940s, included references that were not appropriate for a young audience, including mention of a weapon. After approximately 30 seconds, I intervened and stopped the sing-along.”…