UPDATE JAN. 8, 2020: The Virginia Beach City Public Schools superintendent and his wife have released a joint statement regarding a post made online saying President Donald Trump can “go f–k himself.”

Here is the statement in full:

Recently concerns have been raised about a social media post written by Dr. Spence’s wife, Krista. The post contained provocative and partisan language. We understand that the post was upsetting, and that the language was offensive, and we apologize.
As his wife, I want to speak directly to our community: While Aaron has been the superintendent for over five years now and is very much the face of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, you very likely have not seen much of me during that time. That is intentional, as we try to maintain a healthy work-life balance at home, so I have devoted my time to our children and my career. These two worlds collided when I posted this message. I do want to be clear: Aaron did not make the post and he did not realize he was being tagged in it. I regret the misunderstanding that he had something to do with this, and I want to apologize to him for that.
As the Superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, I want to be clear about where I stand. While I defend my wife’s right to free speech and self-expression, it’s important to state that I don’t condone this type of language. I understand that I must serve as a role model for the students and teachers in our division and for our community as a whole and that I am judged not only by my own conduct but also by the conduct of those around me. As you can imagine, this has been a troubling time for me and my family. We have taken the opportunity to discuss and learn from each other about best practices when it comes to social media—lessons we regularly impart to the students of Virginia Beach. I know it is incumbent upon me to set the example for decorum in both public and private venues, and I can assure you this will not happen again. It is my hope that this will be instructive, not just for my own family but for all families as we think about what communication in this day and age means. What we say and where we say it matters.
Together, we want to apologize to the staff and students of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, to the members of the Virginia Beach School Board and to our community for the controversy this has created. It is our hope that we can all join in an effort to be an example of civility for one another, to be kind to one another, to think before posting on social media, and to continue to work toward making Virginia Beach the inclusive, supportive and safe community we want it to be for this and future generations.
Sincerely,
Aaron and Krista Spence

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A post from the wife of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools Superintendent is sparking backlash online.

The Facebook post read, “A little grainy but so is life! Happy New Year to all I hope this year is a wonderful one filled with love and happiness for everyone… except Trump he can go and ‘F’ himself.”

On Saturday, the post was gone but a screenshot of the post began circulating on social media platforms.

On Monday, 10 On Your Side reached out to the Virginia Beach City School Board for comment. School Board Chair Beverly Anderson told WAVY’s Laura Caso that the board had not had a chance to discuss the post. She sent a statement:

“As the Chair, I have to follow guidelines that only allow me to give factual information when responding to constituents on behalf of the Board. The post you are referring to was not posted by Dr. Spence. His wife posted it without consulting him and she is not an employee of the school system. Even though the post was not made by him, Dr. Spence has expressed his apology for the trouble it has caused and has reassured the Board that something like this will not happen again.”

– School Board Chair Beverly Anderson

10 On Your Side reached out to Spence for comment as well. Spence provided this statement:

“I understand some people are upset about a post my wife made on social media. I am rarely on Facebook, was not aware of the post, and was regrettably tagged without my knowledge. Her views are her own, and I apologize to those the post offended. Like everyone else, my wife is entitled to her opinion and I defend her right to free speech and self-expresssion. However we have discussed what this means for us as a family and for our community, and I am confident a situation like this won’t happen again.

My wife has chosen to deactivate her Facebook account, because photos of our children are being shared online in response to this posting. I ask those who are sharing images of my children as a way to express their concern to desist immediately, as my children deserve better. Thank you.”

Dr. Aaron C. Spence, Superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools

Stay with WAVY.com for updates.