Even though a French teacher in California just started his job a month ago, he may be forced to pack it up after being caught on camera spewing anti-immigration garbage. The teacher, who has been identified as Gnel Frankian, was placed on administrative leave Wednesday.
He is currently under investigation after the footage was shared online. Frankian, who works for the Moorpark Unified School District in Ventura County, got into an argument with a local street vendor. The exchange took place in front of a Santa Clarita gas station, where Frankian yelled “Illegal!” and “Get the f**k out of here, illegal!” to the person recording.
School officials sent a memo to all families reassuring that they are looking into the incident and will take the necessary steps to provide a safe environment for their children.
“Officials are aware of a disturbing video that shows a teacher from Moorpark High School involved in a verbal altercation at a gas station in Los Angeles County,” the statement read. “MUSD officials are taking swift and appropriate action by following our procedures and fully investigating this matter.”
It continued: “We want to reiterate that any form of hate speech does not align with our core beliefs and is not a reflection of our district or our culture at Moorpark High School. Racist, antisemitic or other hate speech/behavior will not be tolerated at MUSD.”
Additionally, district officials made sure counselors were available for students who felt impacted by the incident.
District spokesperson Daniel Wolowicz stated that “Racist, antisemitic or other hate speech/behavior is not tolerated at Moorpark Unified School District. We are proud to celebrate diverse cultures and heritages at our schools. And we will remain dedicated to strictly enforcing our standards when such hateful words or behaviors occur.”