Advertisement Upstate principal resigns after Facebook post Kindergartener's picture posted on Facebook Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An Upstate assistant principal has resigned after being called a “cyber-bully” by those concerned about a Facebook post.The school district of Oconee County released a statement saying, "The school district of Oconee County, both in policy and practice, prohibits harassment, intimidation, or bullying of any kind. Regrettably, a district employee made an inappropriate posting through social media that included a photograph of one of the district's students. The district does not condone this conduct and the individual who made the inappropriate posting has resigned. Any allegations of harassment, intimidation, or bullying are investigated fully by the district administration and addressed as appropriate. The district sincerely regrets the incident occurred."The post shows a picture of a 6-year-old girl in the Seneca Wal-Mart with the caption, “Honey Boo-Boo in Wal-Mart.”Honey Boo-Boo is the star of a reality TV show.Hundreds signed a petition asking for Charles Fowler’s termination. They said Fowler, an assistant principal at Walhalla High School, posted the picture and caption on his Facebook account.The little girl is a kindergartener in Oconee County.Elaine Thompson, the girl’s great-grandmother, said the 6-year-old stayed home from school Monday because of the post.“(Fowler) just picked her out in Wal-Mart and then wants to ridicule her and call her Honey Boo-Boo just because she's overweight. She's got health problems. I take her to the doctor for that,” said Thompson. “He has devastated my family. He has embarrassed us.”Thompson said she has a meeting with Oconee County School District officials on Tuesday.“(My great-granddaughter) was up until after midnight and she was saying, 'Nanny, people are calling me Honey Boo-Boo.' She said, ‘Nanny, I've got to lose some weight,’ and she said, ‘I don't want people to see me like this,’ said Thompson. “She is so sweet and for someone to hurt her feelings like that - not only hers, but all our family. It's just so embarrassing you know, but more hurtful than embarrassing.”In a statement to WYFF News 4, Oconee County Schools Assistant Superintendent of Operations Dr. Michael Thorsland said, "We are aware and we are investigating. We do have board policies that pertain to this situation and, as we investigate, we'll apply these policies to the situation as best we can," said Thorsland. "We're certainly sorry this has become an issue. We shouldn't be dealing with something like this."Thorsland said that Fowler was not at school Monday. Thorsland said he can’t comment further because it’s a personnel matter, but said it’s not uncommon for employees to be put on administrative leave during investigations such as this.Survey