For the second time this year, a Palmdale teacher is under fire for allegedly making racist and gruesome comments aimed at students of color.
The unidentified history teacher reportedly has targeted Black and Latino students before at Space and Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy in Palmdale with a barrage of obnoxious comments in the last two months, the LA Times reported.
This time, the teacher allegedly praised President Donald Trump efforts at building a border wall while chastising Mexicans by saying they should go back “to their country,” according to the outlet.
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The teacher also reportedly called for slavery to make a comeback. She also allegedly threatened to torture students, coupled with comments about consuming human flesh, the students reported.
The school has a majority population of about 70% Latino students, according to the outlet. Black students make up the next largest student population, according to data.
The assistant superintendent of human resources at the Palmdale School District, Ryan Beardsley, said that the teacher in question was placed on leave Friday, pending an investigation into her insensitive comments.
Back in October, the teacher reportedly made questionable comments and was placed on leave then. But she ultimately returned to work Dec. 13, only to allegedly re-commit to her racist rhetoric.
Parents reportedly started bombarding the school administrators with reports that the teacher was once again making improper comments. The new allegations prompted administrators to once again hire an independent investigator to look into the accusations.
“Employees are entitled to contractual rights, labor law and due process,” Beardsley said. The teacher has been employed with the Palmdale School District for about six years and is tenured.
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Students at the school said the teacher has a fostered an uncomfortable classroom environment that is filled with Trump memorabilia, they said at a Thursday news conference.
They said the teacher’s teaching method is also heavy on divisive politics.
“It would be uncomfortable for me as a child of an undocumented person to go in that class and suck up all her words and her nasty comments,” eighth-grader Jossylin Villegas said during the conference. “Imagine being an hour in that class and having to hear her talk about how we shouldn’t be here, about how we live off of white people’s money and we’re just stealing their jobs.”
Yaretzy Martinez, 13, said after she refused to attend the teacher’s class because she felt uncomfortable, she was dished a detention.
“I didn’t want to go to my teacher’s class that would talk bad about Hispanics,” she said. “I don’t think I was supposed to be in there. I feel like she has no right to talk bad about our race.”
Students are now on winter break and return Jan. 13. Beardsley said the school has enlisted mental health professionals to help students.
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