Students protest transfer of Brentwood teacher who took a knee during national anthem

BRENTWOOD, Calif. - A popular high school teacher in Brentwood was just given notice he’s being transferred to a different school.

Many Heritage High School students say it’s because he kneeled in front of the American flag.

But the Liberty Union High School District Supt. Eric Volta , speaking for the first time on Wednesday to KTVU, said other issues had been going on for months with this teacher.

Without going into too much detail, Volta said this teacher is linked to many disruptions involving both students and staff members.

This video, first posted on Snapchat, shows U.S. history teacher Tyler Rust kneeling while the American flag is being raised outside Heritage High School. That video has now been embedded on an online petition in support of him. The petition says “We kneel with Mr. Rust” and has nearly 12,000 signatures.

Students are upset because they feel he is being transferred to Liberty High a few miles away, simply by exercising his First Amendment rights. But the superintendent says this was far from the final straw and the transfer is to give Rust a fresh start.

Students plan to pack Wednesday night's school board meeting to  protest the transfer.