A Maryland teacher who went viral for letting students play in his hair has been “reassigned” to another school.
Marquise White, who goes by JaQ Lee and @thilluminatin1 on TikTok, was not fired by the Prince George’s school district as previously reported.
White angered parents and social media users when he uploaded a TikTok video that showed 5 teenage girls styling his hair.
The science teacher has nearly 1 million followers on TikTok. His video was viewed over 7 million times.
White faced backlash for allowing the girls to play in his hair during school hours. The school district agreed that White was inappropriate and violated the school’s policy on contact with students.
A school spokesman told DailyMail.com that White is under investigation and that he has been “reassigned … pending the outcome of the investigation.”
White does not have contact with students in his new role at another location in Prince George’s County.
He claims there was nothing “weird” about the video and that the students had all finished their schoolwork.
White claims the children fixed his hair during the final 10 minutes of class to help him get ready for his next hair appointment.
“I didn’t have time to do it all by myself because it would’ve taken me forever, so naturally I asked about four or five of over 100 best friends to assist me in taking my hair out, and they all agreed,” White said.
@thilluminatin1 Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Teaching is a work of heart. Comment your thoughts #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teacherproblems #millenialsoftiktok #middleschool ? Chopin Nocturne No.2 Op.9-2(1391533) – 314P
White told his followers that he obtained permission from the students’ parents to style his hair on camera.
But he has posted other questionable videos on his social media accounts. In another video, classmates bully a girl and call her “fat”.
After questioning the girl and telling her she has a big mouth, White says the bullying in his classroom is “none of my business.”
Here’s another one of him letting students fatphobic, filming it & then posting it on Tik tok pic.twitter.com/eBJigMzQ1K
— ?The Inflammatory Fat? (@blackfatqueer) May 10, 2024
Another video shows White admiring a female student. That video has since been deleted from his Instagram page. But it was re-posted on X/Twitter below.
That teacher did a TikTok did a skit of him acting emo because a female student said she only dates emo boys.
The video is still on his TikTok. From 2 years ago. pic.twitter.com/4ApLPv8CEs
— The King of Reads (@TheKingofReads) May 10, 2024
In a recent video since his termination, White cries while reading a text message from a 14-year-old girl who refers to him as her “bestie.”
@thilluminatin1 #teacher ? Sad and sad guitar(1102575) – syummacha
