Mr. Navarro is playing it naive on the defensive once exposed. He's was called out on his sour grapes rhetoric. We are one of the most successful democracies in the world. How quick we seek to pull ourselves down. Let's not fall for these simple-minded comparisons that equally stifle freedom of speech. It's a small leap to equate those who voted for Trump with being Nazi sympathizers or racists and then to claim the Republican Party is therefore supporting a Hitler-like leader. More than twenty-percent of Santa Clara County voters voted for Trump and almost half the voting population of the United States. Let's all get behind the future President and give him a chance.

Sadly, time will tell that this instructor is correct in his correlations between Trump and Hitler. Then as the rights of the lower- and middle class get taken away, as will those of the LGBTQ community, social programs including social security and medicare, you will see only too late that everyone who voted for this misogynistic racist greedy bully will suffer. Including YOU, "oh puhleeze." Wake up, America, you've been conned!

I know Mr. Navarro to be a great teacher. Mr. Navarro is the perfect teacher to help students objectively analyze an emotionally charged topic like the comparison of our president to Hitler. Mr Navarro did't create the comparison, it was already part of the public discourse. Every citizen needs to learn to not let emotions obscure rational thought and analysis. This seems like a good teaching opportunity to me.

Here is the issue:

Although a person (the teacher) is free to express his opinions, the question is whether it is appropriate that he do that in a venue where he/she may unduly influence children, who by the relationship of student/teacher may easily be influenced.

The person needs to maintain a distinction from individual to his/her role.

Don't we ask this of politicians, e.g., to follow the laws even if they differ from their personal beliefs?

@level-headed citizen

It was many from the lower and middle class who voted for Trump. There votes count in a democracy. Is that why you want to see him fail? Just maybe they haven't been conned. Just maybe they are fed up with the establishment, wedge issues and the pitting of one group against another. If Obama brings Trump brings Bernie, so bet it. And then Bernie will be compared to Lenin or Stalin. And it will never end.

@Rationalist

Comparing Trump to Hitler is hardly objective analysis. There's a Grand Canyon between the two. Hitler was a murderous monster. Trump is a reality show personalty with a tendency to make flippant remarks at times. His character traits are not that far off others among the ranks of the super rich or Hollywood.

Oh Puhleez - This is not simple mind comparisons that stifle freedom of speech. EVERYONE has a right to their opinion, including you. The great think about teaching is that it gives students the opportunity to THINK, and form their own opinions. I do this with my children and grandchildren. Do you REALLY believe this teacher was attempting to damage his students? My opinion is no, he was not.

What we are seeing in the classroom is politically correct hate speech. At the beginning of the campaign, a theory was put forward that Trumps followers were lower class, un-educated white people, fearful of foreigners and resistant to progressive changes. This notion, I believe arose from the intellectuals, as a way to stigmatize Trumps supporters as inferior, and whose voice should not be taken seriously in a presidential election. This resulted in a “candidate shaming” culture where one did not admit to supporting Trump for fear of being shamed and ridiculed. This, I believe is why the polls were so far off. The intellectuals consider themselves the repository of all wisdom, and only they know how to run a country. Does this remind you of Marie Antoinette in some regard, just before her head and shoulders were parted? You might want to explore, compare and contrast the French Revolution with this election, as the Hoy Polloi, the “un-educated, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals” the “despicables” have clearly sent a message.

"At the beginning of the campaign, a theory was put forward that Trumps followers were lower class, un-educated white people, fearful of foreigners and resistant to progressive changes."

Given the behavior of Trump supporters since the election, I ask you: In which way was that analysis incorrect?

And oh by the way -- the head of Breitbart.com will become the new White House chief strategist. And people should *not* be critical of the incoming Trump administration?

@@slater
It is not the pro Trump people rioting in the streets.

It's not the pro-Clinton people who are threatening Mexican-Americans, Muslims, and LGBT people.

But I guess in your world, that doesn't matter.

@let'sgetreal

Public school K-12 teachers have a sworn duty to uphold the constitution. Children are minors and should be nurtured to form their own opinions objectively free from personally subjective or radical beliefs of teachers. You, on the other hand as a parent, have every right to impart your personal political, religious, or economic, etc, views on your children and grandchildren. A teacher like Mr. Navarro does not. A K-12 student has a right to compare Trump with Hitler or Clinton with Satan. A teacher's role would be to redirect and restore objectivity rather than fuel such beliefs by interjecting their own. It's no different than the expectation that teachers not push their personal religious beliefs on children. Both expectations command discipline and professionalism on the part of the teacher, as well as a respect for the constitution and democratic process, which, in the end, is much bigger and more important than the beliefs of any one teacher. If he were a college or university professor, I would see less an issue here. But he is not. His political and radical assessment equating Trump with Hitler has no place in a public school classroom, just as, say, a Bible-thumping teacher has not place in a public school classroom.

Wow surprise... What Navarro claimed isn't what happened. Don't let the facts get in the way of your outrage though people...

A key point in the rise of fascist movements throughout history is that people always deny they are happening -- refuse to believe it, actually -- until it is too late. Targeting those who call it out, like this brave teacher, is just the first step.

Another common thread is the normalization of rampant nationalism, racism and other ethnic hatred. That normalization process has already begun. Mainstream media is already scaling back on calling out racism and sexism, calling for "working together" rather than standing strong as a bulwark against such monstrosities.

Lets take stock, shall we?

* Overtly racist leader who just appointed a white supremacist anti-Semite to a top White House position. Note how the New York Times and the Washington Post described Bannon accurately, opting for BS terms like "Alt-Right" rather than the entirely accurate "white supremacist anti-Semite."

* Christian-supremacist Vice President, along with substantial parts of the House and Senate

* Control over all four branches of government

* A cabinet full of corporate lobbyists

* Thugs on the streets committing violent acts of terrorism against the targeted classes -- people of color, Muslims & Jews, with the tacit assent of their leader. Literally *thousands* of incidents reported nationwide in just the few days since the election.

Our system of government is not a magical defense against tyranny. Our much-vaunted "checks and balances" have been upended by gerrymandering and fraudulent Voter ID laws designed to suppress large chunks of the American public, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars of corporate "dark money" that floods the halls of power.

Denial won't stop it. Targeting those who speak the truth won't stop it.

Only full-on resistance.

The Trump supporters are absolutely right. Trump is not at all like Hitler.

Hitler had a little black mustache, Trump does not.

Hitler was a failed water color painter, Trump is a failed casino owner.

Hitler served in the German Army, and saw combat during WWI, Trump served in the New York Military Academy and avoided combat during the Vietnam War.

Hitler thought he knew more than the German generals, while Trump thinks he knows more than the american generals.

Hitler lost his war, Trump hasn't started his war yet.

Hitler hated Jews and gypsies, Trump hates Muslims and Mexicans.

Hitler managed to kill all but one of my father's family during WWI, Trump hasn't killed anyone. Yet.

So, as you see, there really is no comparison. Unless, of course, you were alive during WWII, or are conversant with history at the elementary school level, or are a Republican who has somehow forgiven Obama for being Black.

@Parallels

Just to ease some of the apocalyptic fear mongering, let's take stock shall we, and just for a moment put on our tin hats and take what you are suggesting a little further. At the very least, the racially diverse US military, led by its officers--which poll after poll has shown have consistently earned more respect and higher approval ratings than politicians, corporate CEOs, university professors and, yes, even social media software engineers--is most definitely this nation's "magical defense against tyranny" and will NEVER let fascism take over in the United States. US military officers take their oath seriously to defend the constitution from enemies both foreign and domestic while everyone else wraps their arguments up in it. Now I realize that Star War VII has got everyone spun up with the threat of Kylo Ren, but I can assure you that the US military will play no part in the fascist society you are describing. So without the storm troopers, it ain't gonna happen. So put away the tin hats!

I have a master's degree in history and have trouble understanding the full text of the analogy between Hitler and Trump, so what are high-school students supposed to do, except react viscerally? Hitler's name, which is probably the most reviled in all of modern history, can only incite when it's put in context with our incoming President.

I think this conversation, if it needed to happen at all, would have been better before the election, while Trump spouted his incindiary rhetoric during the campaign. Mr. Navarro gave students too much information that confused and upset some. Maybe he'd have been alright in a college classroom leading an emotional and/or intellectual discussion comparing Trump to Hitler. But he shouldn't have visited that on students who were too young to even vote, let alone keep up with all that was swirling around during the campaign. After 30 years of teaching at MVHS, Mr. Navarro should have known better. Instead of influencing what it means to go forward in defeat and make this election a positive experience, he went way beyond, and in this he failed. I think it's time for him to step down.

Mr. Navarro...it is obvious what your "goal" was. i applaud the principal of the school for his actions...good for him...

@Oh Puhleeze

I'm normally not a fan of Nazi comparisons, but this time it's fair and appropriate. Trump campaigned on a platform of racism and bigotry -- stigmatizing Muslim Americans and Mexican Americans. It is shocking that someone who made so many vile statements could receive so many votes. But winning the election does not excuse his conduct.

The role of an educator, particularly a history teacher, is to humanize the lesson. To take it out of the abstract and allow it to come to life. We can all agree that Hitler was a monster. However if we can't look at the way he gained power,if we can't look at what mistakes the German people made that allowed Hitler his reign of terror we are destined to repeat them. It is entirely correct for a history teacher to look at paralells in current culture and historical facts. It is part of teaching reasoning and critical thinking. And to say He should not have taught that subject to high school kids is foolish. Our country now more than ever needs an educated and logical populace with critical thinking skills to guide this country.

Would like to know 2 things:

1) What, exactly, was said? The articles I've seen are all very vague.

2) Would it be okay for a student to compare Clinton to Al Capone or was this a one sided conversation.

By definition, students are in school to learn from teachers and teachers should take great care not to abuse this responsibility. Some of the letters and opinions on the election outcome "from" children absolutely reek of brainwashing. I grew up with one liberal and one right leaning parent - never thought about how lucky I was to have that balance.

What bugs me most about all of this is that we seem to have lost sight of the forest for the tree that is the Trump Hitler comparison (and whether it's justified or not).

That's not the point, and it never should have been. The editorializing on that front distracts (by making it about Hitler) from the larger point which is the moral issue in the first place.

The point is, the man stated his opinion (informed by his understanding of history), and was silenced by his employers for it. That's wrong. There's no two ways about it, and it need not be any more complex than that.

As such, I would hope that you all who support Mr. Navarro (and you should) support professors that face and have faced similar sanctions in higher education for voicing their opinions.

This situation in our community is merely symptomatic of a larger problem in education GENERALLY (the forest), the only meaningful difference between this situation and what happens in higher education is that this time the cudgel is being applied to the other side of the political aisle.

@Former Student
"As such, I would hope that you all who support Mr. Navarro (and you should) support professors that face and have faced similar sanctions in higher education for voicing their opinions."

"Higher education" is "education beyond high school, especially at a college or university." Just google "higher education" to see this definition.
"Professors" have Ph.D. degrees and teach in four-year colleges and universities. Look at wikipedia for this definition.


@Former Student, you've helped me make my point because Mr. Navarro is a teacher at the high-school, not college, level. You're opining as a free-thinking adult, someone who can take fierceful jargon and research it and come up with your own thoughts and conclusions. This may include some bantering with your highly-educated colleagues and friends. For you it's understood and resolved, but talk that is so strong with such vivid imagery can be injurious to younger people.

This is just what Mr. Navarro did. He spoke to an audience that, as a high-school history teacher of 30 years, could provoke frightening and unresolved thoughts to his students. As a role model, as a highly-respected and long-standing teacher, it was Mr. Navarro's duty to know his young audience and to show by his leadership that he accepts an electoral defeat of a presidential candidate he likely supported. What a teaching opportunity he missed to discuss what it means to have a democratic government, 3 branches of government for a balance of power, and more. Obama and Clinton have shown grace and respect since the election, and Mr. Navarro should be demonstrating the same.

@harvardmom I think you do not understand the implications of a 1970's Amendment to the US Constitution. High school students, who are 18, are able to vote in any federal election. They help decide the fate of the Republic, the Union. In the years of my youth - they could be drafted, against their wish, to serve in the Armed Forces of the US (and defend us from all enemies, both foreign and domestic).

Harvard mom, we have decided as a nation, that 18 year olds hold full civic responsibility, as well as the obligation to register for Selective Service - if the military draft is brought back.

These students at MVHS are young adults of reproductive age. They deserve the right to talk freely with their teachers and peers about SEX (yeah Oracle teacher-advisors) and POLITICS. Harvard moms may wish to protect their high school students from these topics - but the world is full of "frightening and unresolved" topics. Sending a daughter to college? You need to talk to her about sexual assault on campus. "frightening and unresolved"

This discussion has gone all over the map -- the right vs. the left; who should really have been elected; free speech being threatened; the over-/under-protection of students; that we're at risk of becoming Nazi Germany 2.0. How about bringing it back to the original topic, shall we?

The MVHS teacher was showing the striking similarities between the political ascents of two "leaders" who struck a chord with and fired up just enough of the populace to win election (facts, fairness and inclusion be damned). People, he's teaching a class named World Studies! If this election and its parallels to 80 years ago isn't an appropriate and illustrative topic to enlighten students, what is?!

Let's commend Mr. Navarro for seizing on this timely topic for the sake of education, and for doing so in a manner that neither advocated nor dismissed a political position. In fact, commend him also for showing restraint by framing the lesson in a *historical* context, when certainly the opportunity existed to insert his personal opinion. (Given an attentive audience like that, I'm reasonably sure I couldn't hold back in railing against how such a dangerous and unqualified man as Trump could get elected.)

Thank you, Mr. Navarro!

What are Mr. Navarro's views on Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, etc? Does he deem them morally sound leaders with good judgment? Does Mr. Navarro teach what constitutes the basics of good judgement among politicians? What are his views on Bernie Sanders, whom I supported? Does he view him as a communist, a socialist, or what? What are Mr. Navarro's views on free trade or economic policy? Are the parallels between Hitler's rise to power really there? Or do some people, like Mr. Navarro, just want them to be there to make an expedient political point? IMO we are not a country of nascent fascists just waiting to be unleashed. There will always be fringe elements on both sides, but all of a sudden half the population that voted is somehow being equated with the beginnings of a fascist movement. Wow. Just ridiculous. Mr. Navarro obviously crossed the line with the students and parents. Maybe their safe space was violated. Or do such appeals only apply to the extreme left? The school administration did the right thing to suspend him. Our children should not be pawns in this. Lastly, If Mr. Navarro is a claimed holocaust scholar, where can I find his refereed publications whereby his theories, such as the Trump-Hitler parallel, have been shown to be thoroughly researched and judged by a editorial board of subject matter experts?

@harvardmom. I completely agree with you.

Like 79% of the voters in Santa Clara County, I too did not want Trump to win. He’s a horrible person but he was elected, and we need to give him a chance. He may surprise us. I don’t blame Trump for winning the election, but I blame the DNC for the democrats losing the election.

As a high school teacher, I feel that Mr. Navarro chose the wrong platform to spread his negative views about this election. Although Berkeley Progressive seems to think high school kids are all 18, the truth is they are between 13 -18. They’re at a stage where they’re easily influenced by peer pressure. The news is already filled with stories of anger, and riots from both sides, mainly from Hilary supporters on the west coast. Especially with us being so close to Gunn HS and their series of suicides, we should know the importance of creating a stable/safe environment for our kids. His comments even if he’s right (except we have a government preventing him from making rash decisions), instills unnecessary fear similar to what many are judging Trump for doing. Although I won’t say his name, I had a teacher at MVHS that told us that if we go to war, we would get targeted because of NASA. That a nuclear bomb would be dropped, but not to worry we would turn to dust instantly. As a naïve 15 year old, I took this as the truth since super smart teacher told me this, and was terrified that I would see my friends and family burned to ashes. If someone told me this now as an adult, I would have a very different reaction.

Adolf Trump conversations are perfectly appropriate in colleges, among peers, friends and families, but not out of the mouth of a K-12 educator as part of their lesson.

@Puhleeze:

I'd be interested to know if Mr. Navarro's lesson plans have touched on the sociopolitical atmospheres in which the Clintons, Sanders and/or and others in politics have risen. Do you have any knowledge on that the rest of us don't?

Until we can understand his comparison of the Hitler and Trump ascents in the context of other lessons -- again, in a World Studies class! -- he has or will teach, let's not question his lesson choice this time, infer it was politically motivated, claim he "crossed the line" or using students as his "pawns." Your inferences and exaggerations serve little purpose in this discussion.

It's hilarious seeing all of the alt-right posters here complaining about Mr. Navarro somehow offending their sensibilities.

Remember that it was many of the same alt-right types who were threatening to march onto Washington, guns in hand, if their candidate were to somehow lose the election...

This is not an isolated incident. Navarro is a tenured teacher with a long history of pushing his personal political views on minors under color of authority. Students feel threatened if they disagree with him. Check the comments and dates on this site: Web Link As with all open, review sites there is a mix of comments but clearing a theme on him pushing his views.

Some people feel that this is OK because he happens to agree with their views on Trump. Really? Imagine if the political views were reversed. Would it be OK with you if he was telling students that there was only one true God and he was Republican, that Clinton would have started World War III, and that you are a bad person if you are a liberal?

Hitler was a political leader. It should be obvious that anyone could find many connections between Hitler and most politicians. The fact that Mr. Navarro chose to only list arbitrary connections between Hitler and Trump shows his obvious political bias. I wouldn't want my child to be taught by such a demagogue.

@Hitler foe:
You, like several others commenting here, seem to be missing a key point -- that Mr. Navarro evidently wasn't so much conducting a side-by-side comparison of those two truly frightening men as much as he was pointing out, from a historical perspective, the striking similarities in the environments, rhetoric, and manipulation of voters' "hot buttons" (jobs, immigration, foreign influences, people who simply aren't like "us") that fueled their rises to power. That's just too powerful and illustrative a lesson to ignore.

@harvardmom

Apparently you've missed my point completely as you broke out the dictionary. I am aware of the difference. I brought it up because (typically conservative) professors are (and have been for several years) sanctioned in various ways for opposing prevailing groupthink and I see this incident as symptomatic of the administrative trend in education generally that says sanctioning teachers is a-okay. What's the phrase..."trickle down"?


As for the fragility and vulnerability of the teenage mind with regards to a subject they have probably seen presented haphazardly at least 5 times in the last 2 weeks on the Huffington Post alone:

1) Restricting or sanctioning expression is a serious moral issue, so extraordinary claims will require extraordinary evidence. In this case, proof of serious harm.

2) These are teenagers, they aren't 8. There's a huge difference. For reference I distinctly remember at that age my peers and I chafing against assertions that we "couldn't handle it" as far as topics of discussion went and I doubt that's changed much in that age group. Granted we probably were pretty embarrassing because we were teenagers with poorly informed opinions but that's part of growing up.

3) Mr. Navarro always fairly facilitated discussion in all the classes of his I took and I would expect nothing less from him now. Furthermore I would far rather this topic of discussion facilitated by Mr. Navarro with a class than by just about 99.9% of the population and 100% of the media as he's tremendously knowledgeable about the topic. He and I did (and probably still do) disagree on a lot politically, and I personally disagree with the general thrust of the comparison in question, but because that's irrelevant I don't let that cloud my judgement as to whether he is qualified to facilitate such a discussion. He absolutely is.


That final paragraph proceeds on a schooner of assumptions about the discussion in question which nobody has a transcript for so most of it is worthless to debate as there's no indication one way or the other as to what was or was not said by who outside the alleged comments in question (which we only know the gist of). As such proceeding to accuse Mr. Navarro of violating some supposed "duty" to teach the election results a certain way comes across as more than a little presumptuous.


Just a general comment addressed to nobody in particular that I don't know if anyone has brought up yet, but we don't even know if Mr. Navarro was the one who brought the topic up, right? Because based on my years as an edgy teen, I would almost expect that it's better than a coinflip one of the students initially broached the topic in the wake of the election...it's not like this comparison has been repeated only in hushed whispers after special handshakes & pronouns were exchanged, and the ceremonial hacky sack rituals completed; it's been shouted from just about every media rooftop in one way or another for at least 8 months if not longer.

Hitler was a vegetarian.
Bill Clinton is a vegetarian.
Therefore, Bill Clinton is like Hitler.

The two facts above are documented and proven. Therefore, the conclusion is a fact-based conclusion that you cannot disprove or even question.

This, of course, is laughable. The Hitler comparison is an old and weak argument often used by weak-minded, scatterbrained Internet trolls who cannot form a substantive argument. That a teacher would foist this Hitler argument on high school students is both laughable and a bit scary.

@USA: Oh really? Would that (so-called) argument that you presented be any weaker than those put out by your fellow alt-right types the last 8 years? You know, that President Obama was born in Kenya...that he's a secret Muslim...that the Koran would take the place of the Bible...that Sharia law would be the law of the land...

Great comment USA. Of course I get the point. In fact, my God makes my exact point. Anyone can point out similarities and say this one is more important than others. The similarities may be facts but the inferences are purely subjective based on personal bias

NONE OF YOU WERE THERE! YOU DID NOT KNOW WHAT HE SAID OR DID NOT SAY.

THE NEWS IS PRETTY CLEAR. HE IS AN AUTHORITY ON THE HOLOCAUST. HE STATED HISTORICAL FACTS. HE DID NOT COMPARE THE TWO MEN. HE COMPARED THEIR SPEECH STRATEGIES.

HE DID NOT SAY THAT HE DID NOT LIKE TRUMP. HE DID NOT SAY THAT TRUMP WOULD BE A GOOD/BAD/INDIFFERENT PRESIDENT.

HE WAS TEACHING A HISTORY CLASS AND DOING IT WELL.

Unfortunately Mr Navarro did more than just present "facts". He drew inferences based on his political bias

These comments are one of the reasons the house gets sold when my parents die. The liberal slant to everything. Yes, FUHRER MEANS LEADER IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE! If he is comparing HISTORICAL FIGURES, He can also compare speaking styles of our leader, DONALD J. TRUMP! Everyone TALKS diversity, yet nobody I see here actually walks the walk of diversity. When I graduated from the now torn down Mountain View High School, I was a better educated person BECAUSE OPPOSING VIEWS WERE DISCUSSED, and we learned from those views. I was also taught CIVICS and the OTHER DISCUSSIONS that took place before our CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLC GOVERNMENT RULES were hammered out before 1789. We were also taught MAJORITY RULES WITH MINORITY RIGHTS and why out country uses an ELECTORAL COLLEGE instead of the Popular Vote. Some of the politics are very close to SEDITION these days. Overturning CONSTITUTIONAL LAW IS SEDITION!Under Federal Law, these riot instigators could be killed even if they are in another country! Boxer could be censured for trying to subvert our government!
Yes, I learned this in the OLD, RESPECTED MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL. CLASS OF 1973....

engineer questioned whether it was appropriate to discuss Hitler & Trump "in a venue where he/she may unduly influence children, who by the relationship of student/teacher may easily be influenced."

Excuse me, but isn't the whole point of education to have teachers influence students??

If you can't trust teachers to teach, and if you can't trust Mr. Navarro to teach his World Studies class, then maybe home schooling is a better option for you.

And if you're afraid that the teachers have a "liberal bias", the solution is simple -- just pay them $150,000 a year to start. Then you'll start getting some conservatives. If you're not willing to do that, well, you get what you pay for.

Since the object of our discussion is a the potential shift of the U.S. Government from democracy to Fascism, it's worthwhile to have a list -- a gameplan -- that dictators use to complete the shift.

Fascist America, in 10 easy steps
by Naomi Klein

Web Link

Why are people bringing elementary school into this. He was teaching high school. If a high school history. Not 5 and 6 year olds and like it or not there are some very scary things going on in our country today... the country that these young adults live in.

We should not close our eyes to looking at history because we don't like certain things that happened in history and assume it wouldn't happen to us. We have to be able to look at the past and learn from it, not because one group voted one way and another group voted another. This is about something bigger then who won the political office -- it is about making sure we protect against repeating a very dark moment in history.

The only way that can be done is by insuring we don't ignore historic parallels which may be unpleasant.

[Post removed due to personal attack]

@Observer from

Engaging in personal attacks that does nothing to lend to the topic of discussion?

Where is the MV Voice Moderator?

Wow, what a stupid set of debates on this topic. This "teacher" needs to go. But I am sure the union will keep him in class and teaching badly. If he is as intelligent as his background suggests then he knew what he was doing and should have known better. I feel so sorry that people just won't do their job and teach what students needs to learn.

If schools want to bring politics into the classroom then lower the legal voting age to 12.

@Bill--
Are you or any other non-teacher partaking in this "stupid set of debates" in a better position to determine "what students needs to learn"? If so, please enlighten the rest of us and explain what alternative lessons you'd select. While you ponder that....

What if Mr. Navarro in his class compared the labor movements of the Industrial Revolution to the 20th Century? Would that make him pro-/anti-labor? Or let's say he contrasted free-market democracies to past (or even present) closed, autocratic societies. Would that equate to a personal attitude toward either system, that he'd impose upon students?

Again, please enlighten us as to what students "need" to know, instead of their learning about current and historical developments, allowing them to glean an understanding of the world they'll soon be experiencing as adults.

Did anyone else see the NBC bay area news last night that his leave wasn't related to the Adolf Trump comment? That it was the result of a ongoing investigation, and that he was put on administrative leave for the students health safely? MVHS isn't releasing any information since it's confidential, but indicated that Mr. Navarro is fully aware of the investigation. Mr. Navarro is saying that he doesn't know what they're talking about. He seems pretty shady. In the interview he acted like he was going to retire because of this incident, when really he was planning to all along.... i can't help but think that maybe this was calculated....

As a parent of a child at this school, I have pictures of his comparison between Hitler and Trump showing both raising their right hands side by side. I can tell you that he is completely biased and shamed a student because they dared to disagree with him. All you people spouting your views about poor Navarro not being able to teach his "history" should understand you are INCORRECT. That student is also being cyber bullied by other students due to Navarro's great "teaching." To answer Plot Twist, it is the health of the students who take his class (that disagree with him) that is in question.