Sub who tore up posters legally changed name for ‘legacy’
BALLWIN, Mo. – The Ballwin man who admits to ripping up a Black Lives Matter and pride poster in a classroom is running for political office and legally changed his name in the past.
“I don’t think those kind of things should be in front of student,” Jason Jennings said.
Jennings is running for State Representative in District 100. He said he tore up a Black Lives Matter and pride poster inside a Parkway School District classroom earlier this month.
“I have very strong convictions,” Jennings said. “The BLM poster and the LGBT poster should not have been on the wall in front students, in front of youth.”
Jennings is not a Parkway employee but instead a contractor hired by Kelly Education, which provides substitute teachers to schools across America.
“The issue with those is when they’re in front of students. Adults are free to do what they want, on their own time, in their own lives; the problem is when they’re in front of students,” Jennings said.
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Jennings, who is also a sports agent, posted about it on social media but claims he did not do it for publicity.
FOX Files obtained the latest campaign finance report, which uncovered only one donation to Jennings’ campaign, and that’s from Jennings himself.
“At the end of the post, you see a call to action, a #MOleg, which is the hashtag for our legislature, must take action or needs to take action,” Jennings said.
The 42-year-old changed his name in January of 2018 from Jarrod Rogol to Jason Jennings. He said it’s something he’d wanted to do for years.
“I was at a point in my life I wanted the rest of my life to be my legacy,” he said. “It’s something I wanted to do for a very long time—probably since I was 10 or 12.”
Jennings didn’t say much more about his name change, noting that he has no criminal record, he’s legally adopted, and his biological father is African American.
Parkway school officials removed Jennings from their list of substitutes for what the district calls unprofessional conduct.
Kelly Education released a statement confirming Jennings had been suspended.
“Kelly Education is committed to maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment for all the schools and students we serve,” the statement read. “Our substitute educators undergo rigorous screenings and background checks before they are eligible for any assignment.”
Parkway officials did not file a police report.
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