Can this Fresno teacher still lead kids? Her social media posts about Jan. 6 raise doubts
If an elementary school teacher cannot or will not grasp the truth, should that person continue to instruct young students?
That is the question now facing the Fresno Unified School District over one of its instructors at Manchester Gate Elementary.
The issue: Julie Rocha’s attendance at the Jan. 6 rally with President Trump that occurred before the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The Bee’s Education Lab broke the news over the weekend about Rocha’s travel to Washington, D.C. for the rally. Staff writer Monica Velez told of Rocha posting to her Facebook page her descriptions of the rally as “patriotic” and nonviolent.
There was just one problem: The purpose of the rally was to get Congress to overturn the Electoral College results, which gave the presidential victory to Democrat Joe Biden, not Trump. Never mind that dozens of attempts by Trump lawyers and other GOP leaders to nullify the election results had already failed.
Those GOP attempts were based on nothing more than Trump’s nonstop declarations that the election results were a fraud and fake. Biden captured 51.3% of the votes to Trump’s 46.8%.
To put it another way, there was simply no issue with the election other than Trump wishing he’d won. At the rally, Trump told his supporters: “We will never give up. We will never concede. It will never happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.”
Following his 70-minute speech, Trump returned to the White House. Throngs of backers marched to Capitol Hill. Then hordes broke into the halls of the House and Senate. They fought the overmatched Capitol police and tried to hunt down key lawmakers like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who barely escaped. The rampaging mob stole computers and other belongings.
Nearly 150 Capitol police sustained injuries. One died while defending the Capitol. Two others died by suicide in the days after the attack.
Teacher’s view on election
So why was Rocha at the rally?
“We all gathered at the Capitol building in hopes that the legislature would know we were not happy with the election process,” Rocha’s post said.
Not happy with the election results? Losing sides are never satisfied with finishing second. But in American democracy, the losing side is expected to a) accept the results graciously, and b) let the process work to completion peacefully.
Keep in mind, Rocha traveled during winter break after more than 60 court cases had been determined, Trump losing all but one, which had no bearing on that state’s outcome. The Justice Department also ratified the election. William Barr, Trump’s handpicked AG, said this:
“To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”
Court cases
The plain truth is the Jan. 6 insurrection was an attempt to overthrow the U.S. government. Some of those arrested are now having their cases heard in court.
How might Rocha teach her students about this day? Will she give an accurate accounting? Beyond Jan. 6, how might she outline other aspects of American history? Some Manchester Gate parents are asking themselves those questions.
Fresno Unified on Monday would not comment, saying it was a personnel matter.
Teachers can have political opinions. They can attend rallies and make contributions to candidates and causes. But they cannot spin the facts that they use to inform their students.
Velez reported that “Rocha insists in her post that the media is lying about what happened that day at the Capitol.”
Sorry, but no, there is no media lying. There’s countless videos that everyone saw: Rioters smashing windows to get into the Capitol, rampaging offices, taking selfies, Trump flags everywhere.
Society entrusts teachers with a great deal of authority for what happens in their classrooms. But in Rocha’s case, what happens when she cannot be trusted to grasp reality?
Manchester Gate parents want to know, and Fresno Unified owes them answers.
