San Jose teacher suspended as school investigates alleged ties to white supremacist group

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - A math and science teacher at San Jose’s Valley Christian has been placed on paid leave while the school investigates his alleged ties to a white supremacist group, the Mercury News first reported.

On Wednesday, an “Antifa” watchdog group called Panic in the Discord published a blog post alleging that Kyle Scheuerlein is a member of the neo-Nazi group Identity Evropa best known for participating in the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville.

Scheuerlein did not immediately respond to the Mercury News for comment.

“We were made aware of the accusations against a member of our faculty late yesterday afternoon,” Chief Operating Officer Rob Valiton said in an email to KTVU on Thursday. “We immediately began an investigation into the matter and, consistent with our policy, placed the teacher on paid administrative leave. Any membership or affiliation with a racist group of any kind is not only against our conduct standards, it is in conflict with our mission. If proven true, these allegations are not acceptable and will not be tolerated. This matter will be thoroughly investigated and addressed accordingly.”

The Anti-Defamation League has called Identity Evropa a white supremacist group and the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled it a hate group, saying, “Identity Evropa is at the forefront of the racist “alt-right’s” effort to recruit white, college-aged men and transform them into the fashionable new face of white nationalism.”

According to the watchdog group, Scheuerlein chatted with other Identity Evropa members under the name Nuclear Reactionary, writing about everything from coding bootcamps to his workout routine, the Mercury News reported.