California Department of Education must remove anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist
The California Department of Education is no place for anyone who pushes bigotry and lies. That’s why the CDE’s employment of charter school analyst Craig Heimbichner is so problematic.
Heimbichner works at the CDE as an education administrator in the charter school oversight division. He also happens to be a prominent promoter of racist conspiracy theories with absolutely no basis in fact or reality.
A recent story by The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Pohl and Sawsan Morrar exposed Heimbichner as a spewer of ridiculous and dangerous falsehoods.
Heimbichner, the former CEO of the Sacramento-area Horizon Charter Schools, departed the company in October of 2014 “by mutual agreement” after a board meeting governing the schools discussed “public employee/dismissal/release.” By then, he had carved out an identity for himself as a propagator of extreme anti-Semitic and anti-government conspiracy theories.
“Under Heimbichner’s byline, a 6,500-word post in Paranoia Magazine dated January 2013 and called ‘The Cryptocracy’s Greatest Hits’ spells out a host of outlandish, debunked theories about ‘ritually-structured’ killings — from serial murderers to terrorist attacks and genocide,” reads The Bee’s exclusive.
Heimbichner is also fond of writing incomprehensible blather centered on global conspiracy theories involving 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing. Now, according to The Bee, “Heimbichner is involved in directing the planning, administration and evaluation of the state’s charter school oversight group. His work also has included representing California’s education department in disputes over state approval of charter schools.”
Heimbichner started working at CDE in 2017 as a consultant under then-State Superintendent Tom Torlakson. Daniel Thigpen, deputy superintendent of communications at CDE, said the department has launched a “full investigation, which is ongoing.”
“This matter will be addressed swiftly and appropriately,” Thigpen said.
Thigpen also said the CDE “denounces in the strongest terms possible all forms of anti-Semitism, bigotry, and hate, and will not tolerate any instance in which an employee has demonstrated such behavior.” He added that the CDE is “working to expand implicit bias training for staff, allocating grants to school districts for anti-racist educator training, and continue its Education to End Hate Initiative.”
On Feb. 25, the day The Bee story ran, CDE placed Heimbichner on paid leave. That’s a good start, but CDE must go further. Heimbichner has no business working on anything related to schools or education in California.
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.