Obama effigy hung at RI school with fired teachers

Obama effigy hung at RI school with fired teachers

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (AP) -- A teachers' union is condeming the actions of a teacher who hung an effigy of President Barack Obama in his classroom. It happened in Rhode Island, at a failing high school where all of the teachers -- including the one who hung the effigy -- had been fired as of the end of the school year. The firings were praised by Obama as an example of holding schools accountable. The school superintendent who found the effigyy tells CNN that it was a foot-tall Obama doll, hanging by its feet, and holding a sign that said, "Fire Central Falls teachers." The president of the Central Falls Teachers Union says the teacher hung the doll "as part of what he described as a lesson plan." She says there's "no excuse for what he did." The union chief says the teacher verbally apologized to his students, and asked the superintendent if he could also apologize in writing. _Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed._ "**Share your stories on msnbc.com. Click here to contribute to Your Stories, Our Stories and submit your story online**.":http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34828160/ns/nightly_news