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At Tuesday’s Moreno Valley Unified District board meeting, supporters and critics of a Moreno Valley history teacher who was placed on administrative leave for a profane anti-Trump rant in class clashed over his fate.
A Valley View High School teacher called the president-elect a “rapist draft evader coward” during a Nov. 6 lecture to Associated Press history students. He said the reason black and Latino voters don’t support Kamala Harris is because of her personality. “The vagina and the uterus,” he said, claiming that Latino voters who support Trump want to be white.
A spokesperson for the Moreno Valley Unified School District said the teacher was placed on administrative leave while the incident was investigated.
Tuesday’s board meeting came as some parents called for the teacher’s firing and multiple students asked the district to consider the teacher’s character and not judge his entire career on one incident. It reached its climax.
“I think his approach was a little unprofessional,” student Ezel Moreno said before the board meeting. “I believe he had good intentions, but when he’s done so many good things as a teacher, is he going to be fired for just one incident?”
The district did not identify the teacher or take any action regarding his future as an educator. Students identified him as Maximiliano Perez, a history teacher who participated in several school clubs, including the chess club. No comments were received.
In a recording of the talk shared by a conservative commentator at There wasn’t.
“Will human rights go away? Yes. Will it happen to you? Probably not. That’s good, but has Donald Trump ever quoted Hitler? Yes. Do you embody some? Yes,” he told students in the video.
Five students voiced their support for Mr. Perez at the board meeting, describing him as a dedicated teacher who encourages independent thinking and cares deeply about the well-being of his students.
One student, Jaylene Bailey, even credits him with saving her life by providing support when she was struggling with her mental health.
“Mr. Perez saved my life and out of thousands of students, I believe that I matter and that Perez has the power to help other students the same way he helped me. , helped me further my studies,” she said. “I sincerely hope to see him again in the future and give him the biggest smile and wave.”
However, several parents and other adults in the Moreno Valley community said Mr. Perez’s inappropriate and racist rants merited serious disciplinary action.
“I came here to complain about a teacher who made vulgar political comments,” Oscar Avila said. “I say disbar him. He can no longer work at the school. Please relieve him of his duties.”
As a Latino, Avila said he was particularly upset by Perez’s recorded comments in which he told Latino students that many of their fathers, uncles and grandfathers “wanted to be white.”
Student Joel Mata acknowledged that Perez’s recent actions “should not be ignored,” but asked the school board to focus on student testimony about Perez’s character. Ta.
Mata said that contrary to the narrative presented online, Perez does not force his beliefs on his students.
“‘I don’t care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat. Join your party and make this society better.’ This is from Mr. Perez, the so-called indoctrinator of our school. “This is a direct quote from,” Mata said.
Student Damian Ayon said Perez is “an essential figure for many of our students here, not only as an educator, but also as a mentor, supporter, and guide through some of life’s most difficult moments.” spoke.
He told the school board that given the “significant impact” Perez had on the Valley View community, “his absence will leave a gap in our lives that no other teacher can fill.” ”I asked them to recognize that.
Kenneth Prado, a board member of the neighboring Hemet Unified School District, who spoke in his personal capacity, said the students’ speeches did not change his opinion.
“I’ve heard students sit here and say how much they respect him as a teacher,” Prado said. “That may be true, but when you’re in that position, you’re held to a greater standard.”
Community member Fred Banuelos, who attended the meeting wearing a “Trump 2024” T-shirt, said Perez’s abusive language and use of profanity was unacceptable.
“There must be consequences for what you say,” he said. “I don’t know if I should fire you or not, but there should be serious consequences.”
Dozens of students walked out of class in protest Tuesday morning, demanding the district reinstate the teacher, according to OnSceneTV video.
“At the end of his speech, he gave everyone a hug and asked if they wanted to talk more,” said student Devonie Casas. “They twisted his story to make him believe something else.”
“This was taken completely out of context and I think it made him look bad,” said Jada Carroll, a student who was taking classes during the lecture. “I’m proud of our school for speaking out about this. It’s nice to see that people really care.”
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