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A southern California school board received a tongue-lashing from Latino parents after a high school teacher went viral for his profane rant in the classroom against Latino voters who supported President-elect Donald Trump.
Several students, parents and members of the public showed up to the Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) board meeting on Tuesday. A few students spoke out in support of the Valley View High School teacher, whom they identified as AP World History teacher Maximiliano Perez, after he was placed on administrative leave. But other members of the community were outraged by the teacher’s behavior.
Clips of his rant went viral after being shared to X by American Culture Project senior fellow Corey DeAngelis last week. Perez, who identified himself as Mexican-American in the clips, warned students that they could end up in “concentration camps” or with “no human rights” because of Trump.
He also made several disparaging comments about Latinos who voted for Trump.
“I know a lot of Latino men that wish they were White, and they will never admit it to you. A lot of your fathers. A lot of your uncles. A lot of your grandfathers. God, they want to be White so bad but they never will be. I hate that s—. I hate Latino men that oppress the women in their family, their own daughters, and they turn around and vote for a man that wants to oppress them,” Perez said at one point in his lengthy rant.
Several Latino community members at the school board meeting called for the teacher to face serious consequences, calling his behavior unacceptable and unprofessional, according to audio of the meeting posted to the MVUSD YouTube channel.
“Can you ensure every parent that is in the teacher’s classroom that did all of those racial outbursts, won’t be bullied?” one Hispanic mother named Bethany asked. “Can you guarantee that every child who has that teacher, [whose] father or grandfather voted for President Trump, will they be bullied?”
“It’s time that this school district stop tolerating hate speech in class,” she went on.
“To say that a Hispanic man wants to be White?” she paused in frustration. “I’m offended. Yo soy Mexicana. I am Chicana. I am indigenous, and my family voted for Trump.”
“This teacher should be fired, there should be zero tolerance for hate speech,” she demanded.
Kenneth Prado, a trustee in the neighboring Hemet Unified School District who was speaking in his capacity as an individual, also decried the teacher’s comments as bigoted.
“The majority of your student population is Hispanic,” he said of MVUSD, whose student population is 75% Hispanic.
“What you just did was make the most racist comment, to tell them that their fathers – blessed to have their fathers in their home, like myself – that if they voted for Trump, that they only did it because they wish they were White. That is the worst of it all. Shame on him and I know you will do your due process,” he told the board.
Another Latino conservative called on the board to remove the teacher. “He’s cussing, he’s calling people like us that are conservative, that we want to be White,” Oscar Avila said. “I say you strip him, he can’t work with schools anymore, remove him of his duties.”
Fred Banuelos, who identified himself as a Mexican-American Trump supporter, called what Perez said in the classroom, “unacceptable.”
“He said things that should have never been said. He used profane language and it was just unacceptable…He has a right to say those things, but not at our schools. That was just crossing the line,” he said.
“There needs to be some major consequences,” he continued.
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Parents and community members who criticized the teacher had to wait over three hours before they were given the opportunity to address the board, during the public comments section, and a still image was put over the video when they spoke. Several of the parents accused the leaders of trying to stifle opposing voices.
DeAngelis also posted clips to X of the speakers’ comments, with both image and audio, that one community member recorded of the meeting.
The Moreno Valley Unified School District previously told Fox News Digital the teacher had been placed on administrative leave and an investigation had been launched into his actions.
“We were recently made aware of an incident at one of our high schools, in which a staff member’s discussion about the election results turned unprofessional. We do not condone the behavior that occurred, and an immediate investigation has been launched. The staff member involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this review,” the district said in a statement. “We recognize the heightened emotions surrounding the current political climate, and we deeply value the diversity of our community, which encompasses a wide range of perspectives and beliefs. Our goal is to foster a respectful and inclusive learning environment that supports all students.”
“We appreciate those who came forward to share their concerns and inform us of the situation. By working together, we can continue to cultivate a positive and supportive educational experience for all students in our Moreno Valley Unified School District,” the statement concluded.
According to a report in The Los Angeles Times, dozens of students at Valley View High who supported Perez walked out of class on Tuesday morning in protest and demanded the school reinstate him.
Five of the teacher’s students also showed up to defend him at the board meeting, saying he shouldn’t be fired for this one incident.
“I believe that the way he approached it was a little unprofessional,” student Ezell Moreno said before the board meeting, according to the LA Times report. “I believe that he had good faith, but is he going to be fired for one incident when he’s done so many good things throughout his time as a teacher?”
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Another student, Jailene Bailey, said the teacher had “saved her life” when she was going through a dark period, by giving her encouragement.
“Mr. Perez saved my life and helped me further pursue my education by telling me that I matter in the sea of thousands of students, and I believe that he has the power to help other students just as he helped me,” she said. “I really hope that in the future I will still be able to see him and give him the biggest smile and wave.”