A California high school physical education teacher has been placed on paid administrative leave after she allegedly told a group of students, who refused to stand for the national anthem, that they would be deported under President Donald Trump.
According to NBC Bay Area, a group of students at Oak Grove High School, in South San Jose, decided to sit through the anthem during an event at the school, in an act of defiance against President-elect Donald Trump last Wednesday.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who is seen as a role model for many youth, has also refused to stand for the national anthem.
One of the female students in the group that decided not to stand reportedly said the teacher told them, “Good luck with being deported now that Donald Trump is president. You guys had it better here than you will over there.”
Superintendent Chris Funk learned of the incident after it was reported by the students, which prompted the district to place the unnamed teacher on administrative leave.
“No question that some of our students who are undocumented are concerned about deportation and what’s going to happen to their families,” Funk said, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
The Mercury News also notes that “[in] the aftermath of the election, the district has posted a letter on its homepage, saying that students deserve a secure environment to process the election results, and asking teachers to remain neutral, share information, listen to both sides of any issue and create a safe space in class and school for discussion.”
Breitbart Senior Editor-at-Large Joel B. Pollak pointed out recently that some teachers in California, who had previously scared their students about Trump, are now struggling to calm students down about his election.
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