An outspoken Berkeley Middle School teacher is in danger of losing her job for her role in a protest at the state Capitol over the summer, and students and parents came to her defense Wednesday night.
Yvette Felarca, along with dozens of others conducting an anti-Donald Trump rally, stood up against a group of self-described Neo-Nazi demonstrators in Sacramento in June. When the altercation turned violent, several people were injured, including Felarca, who was stabbed.
"We shut down the Nazis, and in the process of that, they attacked us," Felarca said after the melee.
Felarca was suspended by the school district Wednesday, and while she said administrators did not provide her with a specific reason for the discipline, she believes it's a result of her role in the protest.
"We were the ones stabbed by Nazis," she said. "They don’t want people to have free speech."
Chanting parents, students and teachers were backing Felarca at a school board meeting Wednesday night.
"Today, my son was pulled out of school for asking questions about his teacher," one parent said.
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In the days after the violent rally, Berkeley Middle School leaders received a threat to either fire Felarca, or there would be violence on the campus. That threat happened during the summer break, but Felarca has been back in the classroom since school started three weeks ago.
Now, she said, she’s been blindsided by the suspension.
"Barring me a chance to teach students is not only silencing me, but it’s silencing them," she said to board members. "I promise you, you will not get away with this."
The district and board said they could not comment on the teacher's discipline because it is a personnel matter.
