Parents Petition To Have School Principal Removed Over Love Of Iron Maiden

How far would you go to make sure the people in charge of educating your children are measuring up to your standards?

Some parents with children enrolled at a high school in Canada have decided that the school's principal might not be the best fit for her position. They went as far as creating a petition to have her removed and the reason why is fairly ridiculous.

Parents Had A Problem With The School Principal's Social Media

High School in St Catharines, Canada
Photo Credit: Google Earth
Photo Credit: Google Earth

Parents of students at Eden High School in St. Catharines, Ontario, discovered that the principal, Sharon Burns, had posted photos on social media revealing she was a fan of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden.

Most people wouldn't think twice about the principal's music interests, but her posts gained some unwanted attention.

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Parents Created A Petition To Have The Principal Removed

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Principle Sharon Burns standing next to a car with Iron Maiden fan merchandise
Photo Credit: Change.org
Photo Credit: Change.org
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The parents who took issue with Burns' posts went so far as creating a petition called "Eden High School Principal, Sharon Burns, Needs To Be Transferred Immediately."

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Unfortunately for the disgruntled parents, Burns has more supporters at the school than critics.

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The Principal Is Well Loved By The Community

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Principal Sharon Burns giving the thumbs up and holding a child's drawing.
Photo Credit: @edenprincipal / Instagram
Photo Credit: @edenprincipal / Instagram
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Parents and supporters of the teacher launched a counter-petition simply titled "We need Mrs. Burns," with a description that says Burns "spreads nothing but love and kindness."

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Adding that she "has made so many efforts to remind students that Eden [high school] is a diverse place."

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Parents Were Concerned About An Iron Maiden-Themed Instagram Post

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An Iron Maiden doll with a handwritten
Photo Credit: Change.org
Photo Credit: Change.org
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After backlash online, the original petition was updated saying that the issue was not with Burns being a heavy metal fan.

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Instead, it was "openly displaying her own handmade sign with the 666 clearly displayed on it" in reference to an Instagram post that has since been deleted. The Change.org petition included the above photo and called to have the principal removed.

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The Counter-Petition Received Thousands More Signatures

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Change.org petition for Mrs. Burns
Photo Credit: Change.org
Photo Credit: Change.org
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The anti-principal petition was signed by over 500 people before it was closed by the creator, a woman named Debbi Lynn. However, the counter-petition in support of Principal Burns has racked up over 23k signatures in a few weeks' time.

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It's clear that her supporters are much louder than her critics and the description pointed out that "Eden High School is a public school. Not a Christian school."

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"If You Don't Like The Principal Of Your Child, Send Them To Another School"

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Eden High School St Catharines ON, Canada
Photo Credit: Change.org
Photo Credit: Change.org
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The petition in support of Burns further added, "If you somehow don't like the principal of your child, grandchild, relative, etc.'s school, then send them to another one."

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The petition in support of the principal remains accessible and continues to be signed even though the original petition has been closed.

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Burns Deleted Some Of The Controversial Photos

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Hand holding phone with Instagram open
Photo Credit: energepic.com / Pexels
Photo Credit: energepic.com / Pexels
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Principal Burns ended up removing some of the photos that caused concern among parents to avoid further controversy.

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That being said, she still remains employed with the school board and is also a proud Iron Maiden fan, as she should be!

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Were The Parents Out Of Line?

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the English heavy metal band, performs a live concert during the Swedish music festival Sweden Rock Festival 2018. Here bass player Steve Harris (L) is seen live on stage with guitarist Janick Gers
Photo Credit: Gonzales Photo/Terje Dokken/PYMCA/Avalon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Gonzales Photo/Terje Dokken/PYMCA/Avalon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
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Do you believe that the parents were justified in creating their petition, especially considering their children did not attend a religious school?

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Evidently, the anti-Iron Maiden crowd was in the minority here.