Harris Calls For Resignation Of Harford Teachers Union President

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Andy Harris, R-Harford County, has called for the resignation of the Harford County Education Association president following comments regarding a train crash Wednesday in Virginia. Several Republican lawmakers were aboard the train, en route to their annual summit in West Virginia, at the time of the crash. One person died and several were injured, officials reported.

Harris was not aboard the GOP-filled train, which crashed into a trash truck west of Crozet, Virginia, about 15 miles from Charlottesville. He offered his gratitude afterward to first responders.

Ryan Burbey, president of the Harford County Education Association, which represents professional educators in the county, shared an article on Facebook about the crash Wednesday with a one-word comment that has sparked controversy: "Karma."

On Wednesday evening, Burbey apologized for the comment on Facebook and said he did not know anyone had been injured.

"I am sorry. I posted an insensitive comment about the GOP train wreck into the dump truck," Burbey wrote on his Facebook page. "I was being sarcastic. I did not read the article to see that anyone was hurt. It was not meant to offend anyone or make light of someone being harmed. I don't want anyone to ever be hurt or killed. Those who know me know this."

Christopher Foley, 28, was killed in the crash; he was a passenger in the trash truck, according to Albemarle County Police Department. A second passenger was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition while the driver of the truck was transported via road in serious condition, police said.

Two crew members and three passengers suffered minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital, according to Amtrak. Among the injured was a congressman from Minnesota who was checked out and discharged from a local hospital per standard concussion protocol.

Burbey said that he was not making a jab at Republicans in the "Karma" comment, which he has since removed.

"I took the photo down. I am sorry if you were offended," Burbey said on Facebook. "It was not a partisan smear. I found the incident ironic given that Congress has failed to fund Amtrak safety measures. I hope folks can forgive a moment of insensitivity."

Harris called for the resignation of Burbey, stating that he had "disgraced his position" of leadership in the education system.

"This type of toxic, blindly partisan rhetoric is counter-productive and hateful, and it has no place in our educational system," Harris said in a statement on Thursday. "Mr. Burbey has clearly disgraced his position as president of the Harford County Education Association."

• Congressman Andy Harris OK, Not In Virginia Train Crash: Report
• Virginia Amtrak Crash: Train Carrying GOP Reps Hits Truck; 1 Dead

Here is the apology from Burbey:

Here is the full statement from Harris:

Rep. Harris Calls For Resignation of HCEA President

WASHINGTON, DC: On January 31, an Amtrak train carrying Republican lawmakers to West Virginia collided with a truck, resulted in one death and multiple injuries. Ryan Burbey, the president of the Harford County Education Association, shared a story about the accident on his Facebook page with the caption ‘Karma’. Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) released the following statement calling for Mr. Burbey’s resignation:

"As a member of the Education Subcommittee on Appropriations, I am appalled by Mr. Burbey’s decision to mock yesterday’s train crash that resulted in Christopher Foley’s death. This type of toxic, blindly partisan rhetoric is counter-productive and hateful, and it has no place in our educational system. Mr. Burbey has clearly disgraced his position as president of the Harford County Education Association. Because blatant partisanship and such stunning lack of compassion have no place in public education, he should resign immediately, and owes a sincere apology to the family of Mr. Foley, the other individual who was critically injured, and to all the citizens of Harford County whose trust he violated.”

Patch editor Feroze Dhanoa contributed to this report.

Image courtesy of U.S. Rep. Greg Walden.