Education

FAU fires professor who dismissed Sandy Hook massacre

In this Jan. 3, 2013, file photo, a bus traveling from Newtown, Conn., to Monroe stops near 26 angel signs posted along the roadside in Monroe, Conn., on the first day of classes for Sandy Hook Elementary School students since the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting.
In this Jan. 3, 2013, file photo, a bus traveling from Newtown, Conn., to Monroe stops near 26 angel signs posted along the roadside in Monroe, Conn., on the first day of classes for Sandy Hook Elementary School students since the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting. AP

WHAT’S HAPPENING

▪  Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton fires the professor who claimed that the Sandy Hook school massacre was a hoax.

▪  James Tracy, a tenured professor who has taught a class called Culture of Consoiracy, is given a termination notice and does not file an appeal, the Palm Beach Post reported.

REACTION

"There's a lot of stuff people aren't aware of that I can't speak to right now,” Robert Zoeller, president of the United Faculty of Florida, representing the professor, told the Sun Sentinel.

BACKGROUND

▪  FAU’s reputation took a hit when Tracy questioned whether the mass shooting occurred.

▪  Over the years, he also blamed the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 terror attack to government conspiracies.

WHAT’S NEXT

Tracy’s last day will be Friday, according to the Palm Beach Post.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 6:18 AM with the headline "FAU fires professor who dismissed Sandy Hook massacre."

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