SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An investigation is underway at Rio Americano High School after a teacher displayed a Nazi flag during class, school officials said.
In a statement, the San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD) referred to it as a hate/bias incident on campus. In a message to parents on Tuesday, Principal Brian Ginter said it was one of several flags from German history on display for a school lesson last week. The statement from the district referenced that it was part of a World War II history lesson.
"The Nazi flag is a long-standing symbol of hate and does not represent the culture and values of our school or our district. The symbolism of these flags is deplorable and we denounce it - hate has no place at our school," Ginter said in the letter to parents.
Ginter said the school is looking into why the teacher thought the flags were appropriate to use and making sure the teacher and others understood that this wasn't an acceptable way to teach any curriculum.
Raj Rai, spokesperson for the district, said the teacher in the incident taught both English and Social Science. While the investigation is still ongoing, Rai said that the teacher has an Expository Reading and Writing Course for seniors.
"There are generally focus areas/themes in this course, which could include an analysis of historical events and topics," Rai told ABC10 in reference to the World War II history lesson.
The flags were on display last week and were also removed that week, Ginter said in the letter.
Mary Kelly was one of the people who got the letter. Her daughter attends Rio Americano and has friends who have taken a class with the teacher. Kelly disputes the statement by the district that the incident happened "last week." She said that the flags have been put up before and caused commotion only to be taken down and put back up the next year by the teacher.
“I don’t think that that makes the students in his classroom feel like he cares about them and that he actually cares that they learn anything. As an educator, your classroom should reflect a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere,” Kelly said.
As a teacher herself, she said that she has never felt the need to display a permanent fixture of a Nazi flag in her classroom.
While the teacher used the flags in the past as an instructional aid, Rai said it is not reflective of where the school district stands today.
"Our district’s understanding of inclusion has grown and we are committed to breaking down systemic racism in our system," Rai said. "Symbols and images of hate and bias will not be allowed on our campuses and inside our classrooms."
Rabbi Matt Friedman, Kelly's husband and a former trustee for the Center Joint Unified School District who also said the incident has happened before, said that the use of the flag crossed a line, even for academics.
“We’re speaking about a classroom, and we’re speaking about again…, the students are not there voluntarily. They don’t have an option to say 'I don’t want to go into that classroom today,'” he said.
He emphasized that if the item was brought in for a specific lesson and was gone later, then he didn't have a problem with that, noting that he even admired teachers who try to enliven their lessons. He didn't feel as though this incident matched that case.
“I do want my daughter to be challenged in her thought. I do want my daughter to learn and understand different viewpoints and ideas. That’s not what’s happening here, and that’s really the crucial element," he said. "We have to make a judgment call of what’s appropriate and inappropriate, and this is certainly a situation where it’s inappropriate.”
ABC10 has inquiries out to confirm who the teacher is, but the inquiries were not immediately returned. The San Juan Teachers Association said in a statement "that each student, staff and member of our community deserves to feel safe, valued and included. Further, we do not support speech or expressions that are hateful or derogatory."
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story mislabeled Rabbi Matt Friedman former title. That information has been updated.
