Teacher resigns after comparing Trump shirts to swastikas

A teacher at River Ridge High School in Woodstock, Ga., resigned amid controversy over pro-Trump "Make America Great Again" T-shirts. (FOX5 Atlanta)

A Georgia teacher -- who was caught on video berating two students who wore pro-Trump “Make America Great Again” T-shirts in her classroom -- has submitted her resignation, claiming she received “threats” on her life.

Lyn Orletsky, a math teacher at River Ridge High School in Woodstock, was placed on paid leave by the school in mid-September after a video surfaced showing her comparing the shirt’s slogan, made popular by President Trump, to a swastika. Orletsky also asked the students wearing the MAGA shirts to leave her classroom.

“After attacks on my character and threats on my life, I have made the decision to resign from my teaching position at River Ridge High School,” she said in a statement Wednesday obtained by FOX5 Atlanta. “While in hindsight I would have handled the situation differently, the outcry over this incident has been disproportionate to the event itself.”

When asked how she would have reacted to students wearing pro-Hillary Clinton “I’m With Her” shirts, Orletsky told the station the incident had nothing to do with politics.

The Cherokee County School Board will consider her resignation at a meeting Thursday.

Orletsky told FOX5 Atlanta she's also received support after the episode, which took place soon after the violence in Charlottesville in August. But River Ridge moved quickly to remove Orletsky from the classroom in September.

“Her actions were wrong, as the ‘Make America Great Again’ shirts worn by the students are not a violation of our school district dress code,” Cherokee County Schools spokeswoman Barbara Jacoby said at the time.

The district also said the students did nothing wrong and said Orletsky was no longer allowed to teach at the school, “effective immediately.” A substitute teacher has been assigned to the classroom as officials search for a permanent replacement.