TAYLOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A local woman is saying she was recently fired from her teaching position because of her rap career and music videos.
Domonique Brown, whose rap name is Drippin' Honey, has been an educator for 7 years. She started teaching history at Taylor Preparatory High School in August.
But all that came to an abrupt end months after she says a parent came across one of her rap videos.
“The first meeting that I had with, like the principal and the dean, they had told me that the parent wished to stay anonymous and she felt as if she didn’t like my rap career and that I was a bad influence on the kids because I rap," she said.
VIDEO: Watch a clip from one of Drippin' Honey's music videos:
She says she was fired in February because she’s a rapper. Before the firing, around Thanksgiving, she says there were meetings and an ultimatum.
“My mind and my heart were telling me two things. I couldn’t see myself, like, giving up my other passion just because somebody didn’t like it and they say, ‘Erase all your content.' That was the ultimatum. Erase all your content. I was like, 'Respectfully, I can’t do that,'" she said.
Brown acknowledges the profanity in her lyrics, but she says that has nothing to do with Taylor Prep and the positive impact she’s had on her students and the community.
I asked if she thinks the issue is her rap career or the (lyrical) content.
She replied, "The meetings was like so one-sided where they only told me what somebody didn’t like. They didn’t tell me, as if, ‘You did this wrong. You did that wrong’ ... that’s why I also [said] on my behalf, 'Well send me what am I doing wrong in writing.'”
The writing was on the wall. Despite that, in December, she won teacher of the month.
In February, on her last day, she created a music video with her students that has since gone viral on TikTok and it's called Drippin' 101.
Christina Lynn Lackley-Bah, a parent told 7 Action News, "As a parent, we long for teachers who support our children and who inspire them, and she was one of those teachers. So really disappointed."
Lackley-Bah says her son, an 11th grader, started a petition in support of Ms. Brown, gathering over 200 student signatures.
She says she's seen Brown's videos, and that they're no different than any other hip hop video a child can access on social media.
"For me, it doesn't matter what you do outside of the education structure. Like, once you leave that particular building and you go on with life, you do whatever you do," she said.
Brown says she misses her students and making an impact.
“These kids have their own goals, their own aspirations. I’m just trying to see how I can help them," she said.
Brown says she's speaking with an attorney about her termination.
7 Action News reached out to Taylor Prep High School for comment and received the following statement from spokeswoman Leah Nixon with National Heritage Academies:
"While student and employee privacy rights limit the details I can share, what I can say is that we are aware of the alleged claims by a former teacher. Student well-being remains at the forefront of everything we do, and we will continue fostering a distraction-free teaching and learning environment focused on student success."
UPDATED STATEMENT — 3/26/24:
"We are deeply concerned by the inaccurate information being shared with the media and circulated on social media by a former teacher, Domonique Brown. While we generally do not address employee matters publicly, our deep concern for the safety and privacy of our students compels us to set the record straight in this case.
Ms. Brown resigned from her position at Taylor Prep on Jan. 24. She was not fired.
Prior to her resignation, administration informed her on several occasions she was violating the teacher code of conduct. Students and their parents reached out to us voicing concerns over Ms. Brown’s promotion of her social media accounts in the classroom. We prohibit employees from engaging with students through any social media platforms. Every teacher agrees to comply with this code of conduct when hired. This has been school policy since day one at Taylor Prep. This is designed to ensure the safety of our students, and we make no apologies for safeguarding their welfare and enforcing this code of conduct.
Since her resignation, Ms. Brown has repeatedly taken to social media and posted videos of her former students, many of whom are minors. Several parents and guardians have complained to us that these posts were shared without their consent. This is a deeply concerning violation of the privacy rights of the families involved, and we have advised the impacted parents and guardians on steps they may take to demand the removal of content featuring their children. To the best of our knowledge, Ms. Brown has yet to honor these demands.
We understand the importance of people wishing to pursue their passions; however, that’s not the question here. Ms. Brown chose to resign to avoid complying with a policy designed to protect our students. Her decision to recast the situation in an effort to promote her personal interests and presence on social media platforms is disheartening. We hope she will acknowledge the privacy rights of her former students and will remove all content featuring unauthorized images of minor children."
Leah Nixon
Spokeswoman, National Heritage Academies
