Supporters call for Natomas school district to keep teacher filmed discussing antifa

Supporters of a Natomas Unified School District teacher filmed in an undercover video discussing antifa called for the district to allow the teacher to return to his position during a Wednesday news conference at the Sacramento office of civil rights attorney Mark Merin.

Natomas Unified has announced they plan to fire the Inderkum High School teacher, Gabriel Gipe, after a conservative group, Project Veritas, filmed him and published an edited 12-minute video of him sharing how he wants his students to become revolutionaries.

District officials confirmed Gipe had political signage in his classroom and, using his own money, purchased a series of rubber stamps to mark students’ work, including stamps with images of Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro and Kim Jung Un.

“After an investigation, Mr. Gipe was recommended for termination because he had violated many policies, Ed Code, and more,” read a statement from Natomas Unified. “As we shared, there are nearly 400 pages of charges and evidence. Mr. Gipe was actively teaching pro-communism ideology in a US Government class.”

The district said Gipe “was clearly representing his school and district” during the recorded conversation. His termination must be approved by the board of trustees.

Merin, who is not officially representing Gipe, said the district moved forward with its decision without due process.

“How is it that a school board can jump to a conclusion and announce a disciplinary job action against a fantastic teacher who is extolled by his students without the minimum due process that is enshrined in our state constitution, our federal constitution, and in the contract that teachers have with their school board?” Merin said.

Merin criticized the Natomas school board for not going through the steps of representation, a hearing for Gipe, and to allow him to defend the charges against him.

“That’s very concerning to me,” he said.

Gipe did not attend the news conference.

The undercover video quoted Gipe saying, “I have 180 days to turn them (students) into revolutionaries … Scare the s--- out of them.” He also discussed how the antifa flag shouldn’t make students feel uncomfortable, only fascists. Gipe had apparently agreed to meet the person who recorded him after that person said they were considering enrolling their child in a Natomas school.

Project Veritas, founded in 2010, uses secret recordings to target media organizations and progressive causes. Its targets have included Planned Parenthood and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).

Merin confirmed that Gipe was extensively harassed at his home, followed and taunted since the Project Veritas video made headlines.

Several community organizers spoke at the news conference, some of whom called for Natomas Superintendent Chris Evans’ firing for agreeing to sit with Project Veritas in a 30-minute interview after a heated school board meeting where dozens of parents and community members called for Gipe’s firing.

Josh Kaizuka, from Sacramento’s Japanese American Citizens League, called the decision to terminate of Gipe a travesty.

“We are talking about a class, a history class, government and civics class, where teaching about different political beliefs, a teacher is being attacked,” he said. “And not just being attacked by right wing fascists and so-called social media organizations, but a school district that is succumbing to the pressures from a group of people.”

Sonia Lewis, a community activist who works with several school districts in the area, said teachers across the country are afraid of losing their jobs for speaking the truth in history classes.

“And that truth is simply the history of those who have been left out of Black and brown and indigenous, API, Latinx, LGBTQ, Muslim communities all over this country,” Lewis said. “Having taught social studies in this state, knowing the standards that are required to make sure that information is disseminated based on the information on standards and curriculum, I know for sure that revolution is change and it is positive.”

The district said in its statement that students “interviewed shared how uncomfortable they felt in (Gipe’s) class based on his teachings. These were students of different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. This has nothing to do with efforts to teach curriculum that was intended to reverse the marginalization of traditionally underrepresented/untapped student groups throughout history and text.”

Inderkum High graduate Rhianna Usoh said Gipe was one of her favorite teachers. Gipe was featured on the school website, voted a top teacher in the district and was recently selected as a Inderkum High commencement speaker.

“The hypocrisy in the district’s claims to shape global citizens while simultaneously perpetuating extremely harmful claims and accusations about a teacher who does just that – shaping engaged global citizens – is nauseating,” Usoh said.

At least three men who did not identify themselves rallied outside the office with a megaphone, cursing news outlets and asking for Gipe to present himself. Merin said the protesters threatened to vandalize the law office, and he subsequently moved the news conference indoors.

This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 4:45 PM.