ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida teacher was fired not long after asking his students to write their own obituaries prior to an active shooter drill at the school, according to multiple outlets who spoke with the instructor and school district.
Jeffrey Keene told NBC News he felt his assignment for 11th and 12th grade students on April 4 at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando would help students reflect on their lives during the school shooter situation, the outlet reports.
"It wasn't to scare them or make them feel like they were going to die, but just to help them understand what’s important in their lives," Keene told NBC News.
In addition, students were asked to write a reflection on their "perception" of the "active assailant" drill and answer questions on their thoughts on mass shootings in the United States, The Miami Herald reports.
Keene told NBC News his second period class said they'd been interviewed by school officials about the assignment. By the end of the school day, Keene had been fired, he said in a Facebook post. Keene taught psychology and AP psychology at the school.
In the given assignment, Keene told students it's "in 'no way' intended to upset" them.
A spokesperson for the Orange County School District said, "Dr. Phillips High School families were informed that a teacher gave an inappropriate assignment about school violence. Administration immediately investigated and the probationary employee has been terminated," NBC News reports.
Keene had been employed with Orange County Public Schools since January.
