A school aide in California has sued the San Gabriel Unified School District after she was suspended for having a backpack with “TRUMP” written on it.
Alyssa Esquivel, who began working as an American Sign Language special-education aide for the district in 2022, began bringing the backpack and a water bottle to Del Mar High School when coworkers complained to the district.
Esquivel was suspended by the district, who cited a California law that prohibits on-campus “politicking.”
“Some coworkers made repeated statements attacking her beliefs, accused her of taunting them and, at other times, coworkers moved the bottle out of reach because they didn’t want Trump looking at them,” her attorney Julianne Fleischer said.
The conflict allegedly began in May 2023 when Esquivel began facing backlash over the paraphernalia.
The district later told the aide to stop bringing the water bottle and backpack on campus.
Officials cited the state law that said no school district’s supplies should be “used for the purpose of urging the support or defeat of any ballot measure or candidate.”
Esquivel was reportedly told she could face fines and imprisonment for bringing the items to school, according to the suit.
