College instructor in Orange County placed on leave after exchange with student over law enforcement

CYPRESS, Calif. - An adjunct professor was placed on leave after an exchange she had with a student regarding law enforcement.

The instructor, who taught at Cypress College in Orange County, was seen cutting off a student mid-sentence after he called police "heroes."

Braden Ellis, 19, was making a presentation on "cancel culture," before he and the instructor had the exchange over Zoom, the student confirmed with FOX 11.

"A lot of police officers have committed atrocious crimes and have gotten away with it and have never been convicted of any of it," the instructor was heard saying in the recorded Zoom call.

The instructor went on to claim that she has family members who serve in law enforcement.

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The school released the following statement on the incident:

"Cypress College takes great pride in fostering a learning environment for students where ideas and opinions are exchanged as a vital piece of the educational journey. Our community fully embraces this culture; students often defend one another’s rights to express themselves freely, even when opinions differ. Any efforts to suppress free and respectful expression on our campus will not be tolerated.

The adjunct professor will be taking a leave of absence for the duration of her assignment at Cypress College. This was her first course at Cypress and she had previously indicated her intention to not return in the fall.

We are reviewing the full recording of the exchange between the adjunct professor and the student and will address it fully in the coming days."