Teacher Removed After Telling 8th Graders Trump Still President, Vaccines Dangerous
An alleged politically-charged and conspiracy-laden tirade led to the removal of a history teacher from a middle school after the incident gained national attention.
The Ventura Unified School District in Ventura, California, confirmed that the teacher, whose name has not been released, no longer works at Anacapa Middle School, according to the Ventura County Star. Other officials, however, declined to say whether or not the teacher is still employed by the district as a whole.
The controversy surrounding the teacher began when a seven-minute video recording of her allegedly espousing various conservative political conspiracies to an eighth-grade class, CBS Los Angeles reported.
In the clip, which was recorded in October, the teacher claimed Hunter Biden possessed child pornography on his laptop and engaged in sexual acts with a niece. She also allegedly disparaged the safety of vaccines and told her students that Donald Trump is still president.
"Hunter Biden, for example, is doing deals with China and Ukraine where he was funneling money illegally," the teacher was reportedly heard saying in the video. "He also had child pornography on his laptop. He was having sexual intercourse with his own niece."
At another point in the recording, she allegedly told her students: "If you have a baby in the hospital, they don't want to give it back if you're not vaccinated. This is a complete power control threat."
Sarah Silikula, the mother of the student who recorded the incident, said that she reported the teacher to the school after her son came home discussing what he heard.
"I mean, why? Why does that need to be said in this classroom full of children," Silikula said about the incident, per CBS Los Angeles.
She also described how her son "got in the car and he was very upset. He announced, 'I'm never getting vaccinated. I'm never getting any more shots of any kind. Did you know Trump's still president?'"
The Ventura Unified School District told CBS Los Angeles, prior to the teacher's current status, that it did not condone the discussion. The district also said that an investigation had been carried out and it was following a "progressive discipline policy" as agreed upon with the teacher's union.
The district superintendent also confirmed to Silikula that her son's class would be moved to a new instructor.
"Whatever anybody's political belief is, I respect," Silikula said. "It's their belief. Don't impose it on my child who I trusted in your care."
Newsweek reached out to the Ventura Unified School District for comment.
