Residents urged the Paso Robles school board to dismiss the high schools’ assistant basketball coach at its most recent meeting, alleging that her Facebook post, shared shortly after the death of Charlie Kirk, promoted violence against white people and Republicans.
During the Sept. 23 Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) school board meeting, Vanessa Harris said she was “deeply troubled” by the two statements that Paso Robles High School Assistant Coach Netta Perkins posted on Facebook the day that right-wing political activist Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
“White on white crime let them sit in it!” Perkins posted on Sept. 10.
“God does not like ugly! Charlie Kirk reap wat u sow!” she said in another post.
Harris told the board that she expressed her concern to District Superintendent Jennifer Loftus, who informed her via email that the district would not terminate Perkins over the post.
“I must respectfully disagree with the district’s decision to take no action,” Harris said during the meeting’s public comment period. “This is not an issue that should be dismissed.”
Failed school board candidate Hunter Breese, who previously faced allegations of election fraud, urged the board to investigate the posts and consider Perkins’ termination.
“Netta called for violence against a certain group of people in our country, that being specifically white people and Republicans,” he said. “And I might add, she did not spell ‘what’ or ‘you’ correctly, and that is not … excellence in our hiring of our teachers, so I’d also like you to take that into consideration.”
Assistant Coach Perkins has advocated against racial discrimination in the school district, publicly sharing her and her children’s experiences of racism in Paso Robles classrooms last October.
Perkins’ and others prompted PRJUSD to enroll in diversity and inclusion training for its staff members, which is ongoing.
At the Sept. 23 meeting, the board took no action. Superintendent Loftus told New Times via email that she could not share whether any disciplinary action would be taken.
“The district has also reminded staff of the PRJUSD board Policy on Controversial Issues. When responding to student questions or facilitating conversations, they are to do so in a way that is balanced, age-appropriate, and respectful of diverse perspectives,” she said. “Our role is not to provide personal opinions or political viewpoints, but rather to help students think critically, process information, and feel supported. It is the expectation that our athletic coaches follow all applicable board policies in their work with our student athletes.”
Other California school districts have also faced this issue after Kirk’s death.
According to CalMatters reporting, at least 20 other teachers in the state are facing disciplinary action after making derogatory statements about the late activist.
And although the First Amendment does provide citizens with the right to free speech, under California law, public entities like a school district can enforce disciplinary action or termination upon an employee if that speech disrupts the workplace. ∆
This article appears in Oct 9-19, 2025.