California Teacher Calls Parents Demanding Schools to Reopen 'White Supremacists'

A California teacher described parents, who are pushing for schools to resume in-person learning, as "white supremacists" and bullies.

The remarks of Damian Harmony, a Latin teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Sacramento, were made during a speech to the school board that he later posted on social media, Fox News reported.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is exerting efforts to reopen schools in the state. A $6.6 billion budget intended for reopening schools in the state received an OK from the California legislature.

The budget would be given to schools willing to reopen their doors and welcome children for in-person learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the suspension of face-to-face learning not only in the state of California but also in other states.

The California Teacher on School Reopening

In his post, Damian Harmony, a parent himself, said he is in full support of teachers staying home in distance learning since it remains "the safest and most humane practice."

He said he was able to better gauge "White Dominance" in his neighborhood after hearing other parents trying to convince the school district to have its teachers return to the classroom, Love By Life reported.

The California teacher blasted parents for putting teachers "in harm's way" by demanding to reopen schools that have been shut down in adherence with COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

"I'm as disappointed as I am unsurprised that last week, we all had to hear all the cynical, pearl-clutching, faux-urgency, ableist, structurally White-supremacist, hysteria," Harmony said. "Even as teachers were moving forward with an MOU that already put them in harm's way and was asking too much of a beleaguered group of professionals."

He also accused some parents of abusing and treating teachers like a "wait staff" amid the pandemic, which he argued would affect the kid's ability to "grow up to be better than our generation."

Damian Harmony noted that parents "attempted to bully a school board into making the schools less safe for the teachers and children."

Some appear to agree with Harmony's sentiments, while others criticized his thinking, saying he is too narrow about the issue.

"The tone and sentiment of his statement do not reflect the official opinion or policy of Sacramento City Unified School District," said a spokesman from the school district.

The spokesman pointed out that Harmony's comments were not made as an employee of the school district but in his personal capacity.

California Guidelines on School Reopening

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released guidelines concerning the safe reopening of K-12 schools. The agency noted that if the schools can abide by its safety guidelines such as the implementation of layered prevention against COVID-19, consideration of the community transmission, phased prevention strategies based on levels of community transmission, then a school can safely reopen and remain available for in-person learning.

Last week, the Sacramento Unified School District had reached an agreement with the Sacramento City Teachers Association. The deal is to start a phased-in reopening plan for in-person classes beginning Apr. 8.

With concerns of safety and mitigation against the virus during school reopening, the California Department of Public Health noted that the state's administration would support the frequent COVID-19 testing for all school staff and students.

Weekly testing would be provided to a school that will reopen in communities with high rates of transmission. Apart from testing, the state's administration will also require all staff and students to wear their masks at all times.

To further reinforce a safer school reopening, the administration will also impose contact tracing and establish a cross-agency team that will provide hands-on support to the implementation of California schools' COVID-19 safety plans. Moreover, school staff would be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination through the spring of 2021.

WATCH: Governor, Legislators Working to Reopen California Schools - From NBCLA