On December 26th, Charlottesville Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy announced that he is resigning from his position as a computer science teacher at Albemarle High School. Prior to the resignation, Bellamy was on administrative leave.
In late November, controversial tweets Bellamy posted from 2009 to 2014 surfaced after a local blogger brought attention to them. The tweets used offensive language, were racist and demeaning to women and gay people.
Shortly after his old tweets received attention, Bellamy posted an apology on his Facebook page for his behavior as a young adult.
Last month, Bellamy resigned from the Virginia Board of Education in which he was appointed to in March by Governor Terry McAuliffe.
Bellamy released a personal statement saying that he would still be there for his students and that he is not going anywhere. His stepping down was a personal choice and he was not forced to do so. It was a decision he made after much consideration.
“I do not think that returning to the high school this year is the right thing to do for the young people at the high school,” Bellamy said. “We have to ensure that our students have the best possible learning environment, and I do not want to do anything that will compromise that.”
In his statement, he did not give a specific reason why he was leaving.
As vice-mayor of Charlottesville, Bellamy reaffirmed the need for strong leadership to unite the community.
“We need more people to work together to address the difficult issues in regards to race, education, gender equity and equality, and the overall goal of respecting our fellow brother and sister.”
