Shadowy GoFundMe page created for sanctioned Sherwood Park teacher

Someone impersonating a Sherwood Park high school principal has launched a fundraising campaign for a social studies teacher who admitted to making unprofessional comments to students and staff.

Greg Plouffe, who teaches at Bev Facey Community High School, pleaded guilty Monday to seven charges of unprofessional conduct for using a racial slur in class, commenting to colleagues on a student’s breasts, body shaming two students and making other off-colour remarks during a fiveyear span.

An Alberta Teachers’ Association discipline committee gave him a letter of severe reprimand and fined him $2,800, to be paid within six months. He remains on the job in Sherwood Park.

On Tuesday, a fundraising page for Plouffe appeared on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe.com, claiming to be created by Bev Facey principal Paul Pallister.

Bearing a picture of Plouffe holding a large bird, the GoFundMe page says Plouffe meant no harm by the things he said: “We all have an older man in our lives who doesn’t mean anything they say, but these people are stuck in the mindset of the generation they grew up in. Let’s all work together to free this man!”

Some third party thought that would be a funny idea. We are not laughing quite so much as whoever did it.

But the principal had nothing to do with the campaign, nor did he authorize the use of his name, the Elk Island school division said in a written statement.

“Some third party thought that would be a funny idea,” division spokeswoman Laura McNabb said. “We are not laughing quite so much as whoever did it.”

As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, five people had donated a total of $85 to the page.