Update: A Prince William County middle school teacher who was placed on leave after reportedly discussing his attendance at the Capitol on Jan. 6 during a virtual class has resigned.

Fred Lynn Middle School Principal Hamish Brewer notified parents of the teacher, Benjamin Plummer’s, resignation on Feb. 2 via email, according to a Prince William County Public Schools spokesperson.

Original:

A middle school teacher in Prince William County has been placed on leave after he appeared to tell students during a virtual class that he was present at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the day of the deadly insurrection.

A video recording of the virtual class shared on social media on Monday appears to show the Fred Lynn Middle School teacher, Benjamin Plummer, discussing his presence at the Capitol. School Principal Hamish Brewer sent out a statement to Plummer’s class on Friday stating that he had been put on leave.

https://twitter.com/anaisnein/status/1351239244627533825

“I was there, that’s what I witnessed, that’s what I saw,” Plummer appears to say in the video. “And I heard the media just blame Trump supporters the whole time.”

Plummer goes on to compare the media coverage of the Capitol insurrection to that of the protests following George Floyd’s killing this past summer, appearing to defend Trump supporters as “peaceful.” It’s unclear from the video shared online if Plummer was a part of the violent mob that stormed the Capitol building, resulting in the deaths of five people. 

“We listened to three months in the summer of organizations destroying cities, burning cities, looting cities. And what does the media say about these people? ‘Oh, they’re peaceful protesters,'” Plummer says. “Now, you have Trump supporters that are incredibly peaceful, they’re all Christians, they believe in God. They’re not there to damage or hurt things.”

In a statement to DCist, a spokesperson for Prince William County Schools said that the system is aware of “reports of social media posts connecting employee(s) to the protests and riots at the Capitol Building on January 6.” The school system is investigating the allegations and will handle the situation per PWCS policy, but the spokesperson could not provide detail or comment on any “specific personnel matter.”

“Prince William County Public Schools recognizes that employees have a right to engage in political activity on their personal time,” reads the statement. “However, employees may not engage in political activities during worktime, on school property, or using school resources, and employees who engage in criminal activity which calls into question their fitness as a role model for students may no longer qualify for employment with PWCS.”

Plummer joins a growing list of individuals facing repercussions for their alleged involvement or attendance at the Capitol.

Several U.S. Capitol Police officers have been suspended for actions during the insurrection, and one officer with Anne Arundel County Police has been suspended with pay pending an investigation. A former school therapist in Ohio is among those facing federal charges for storming the Capitol building, and a high school teacher in Wisconsin was suspended after telling students he planned on traveling to D.C. for the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally.

This post has been updated to reflect Plummer’s resignation.