Update: Victory. Yvette Felarca was restored to her teaching position at the Berkeley Unified School District.
Berkeley Unified School District teacher Yvette Felarca has been subjected to extremely punitive actions by the local school district after participating in an anti-white-supremacy protest in Sacramento, CA.
The protest, which was a counter-action against a white supremacy neo-nazi group that had planned an action in the state capitol, became violent with tussles and stabbings of several people on the Capitol Mall.
Felarca, who went to the protest on her own time, and was seen on video engaging in physical confrontations, has been suspended by the school district, had her paycheck removed from her bank account and students in her classes have been removed and interrogated about her by District employees.
There does not seem to be an issue regarding any students having been placed in any physical danger or jeopardy, so the District’s extreme actions seem based on political disapproval of Felarca’s actions.
Media Alliance has concerns about the severity of the punitive actions and the District’s placing of children in Felarca’s class in the middle of this dispute and wrote the enclosed letter to the Berkeley Superintendent of Schools and the District Board of Directors focusing on the protection of the right to dissent.