The Brief
- A South Los Angeles high school teacher says he was fired for insubordination after opening a gate to prevent students from getting hurt during anti-ICE school walkouts.
- Students, parents and community groups are protesting the firing, calling the punishment excessive and demanding the teacher’s reinstatement.
- The charter school says it follows LAUSD safety policies and emphasizes that decisions about students leaving campus are made by school administrators.
LOS ANGELES – “I was just concerned about their safety,” says Ricardo Lopez. The popular U.S. History and AP U.S. History teacher says he was fired for insubordination at Synergy Quantum Charter High School in South Los Angeles, when students were trying to jump a fence and join the ongoing anti-ICE walkouts at schools all over Southern California.
He says he saw students jumping a fence last Wednesday, explaining he had already seen other students hurt themselves when doing the same thing the day prior. So, “As the closest adult to them, I just opened the gate.”
Within an hour, Lopez was terminated and marched off campus. His belongings, including dozens of paintings and projects by students, were put in a couple of boxes and dropped off in the driveway of his home.…