A Los Angeles County, California, high school teacher is reportedly under fire for storming out of her classroom at the sight of a student wearing a “Make America Great Again” shirt last week.
In an email sent later to students, obtained by the Daily Mail, the teacher said it is unfair for one group to be able to espouse “racist, misogynistic, antisemite, and homophobic” views:
Complaining that teachers “are NOT allowed to express their political views,” she went on to decry the “MAGA shirts” that “represent a deep hatred of minorities, women, non-christian, and LGBTQ+.”
According to the teacher, wearing merchandise supporting President-elect Donald Trump is “a HATE crime when worn at school.”
“As a Latina woman, who is agnostic at best but leans towards atheism and a mother of an LGBTQ+ daughter and supporter of ALL my LGBTQ+ students, I do not feel safe at work, and I fear for the safety of my daughter and my students when administration allows students to wear clothing that expresses their utter disdain and hatred of women, minorities, non-Christian religions and the LGBTQ+ community,” she continued in her rant.
The Spanish educator then referred to the president-elect as a “fascist put into office by people who fear the changing demographics of a country.”
She concluded her raging email by telling her pupils that she would be taking some days off for her mental health “while trying to come up with a better definition of what political neutrality looks like in the classroom so that we can all feel safe coming to school, rather than being intimidated by MAGA attire which has promised to end social services, including education as we know them.”
The top of the email says, “Spanish II – Olivera” and the teacher signed off as “Profe O” — there is a Martha Olivera listed on the school’s staff directory, but it is unclear if she is the teacher in question.
ABC Unified School District (ABCUSD) confirmed that it is investigating the incident in a statement to the Daily Mail, and said, “We encourage students to exercise their freedom of speech within the policies set by our Board of Education and California Education Code.”