Pico Rivera teacher slams military members in classroom rant caught on video

A video in which a Southern California high school teacher is heard slamming members of the military as "the frickin' lowest of our low" in a classroom rant to students has gone viral.

The voice of high school teacher Gregory Salcido is heard on a student's cell phone recording as he goes on an anti-military rant in front of his students.

"If you join the military it's because you have no other options because you didn't take care of business academically because your parents didn't love you enough to push you and you didn't love yourself enough to push yourself," Salcido said.

The student who made the recording said he did it because Salcido was singling him out for wearing a Marine Corp sweatshirt to class.

The recording that was later posted to Facebook has been viewed more than 75,000 times.

Many parents in the Pico-Rivera community listened in shock.

"He should have kept his ideas to himself," parent, Dan Cortez said. "Obviously they were his opinions and he should have kept them to himself and not barraged that child."

Salcido is a US Government teacher at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera who is known for being controversial.

"He just speaks up," parent, Lucy Marquez said. "What are you going to do? You're going to speak what you have inside you."

"I thought it was pretty sad what he said about the military," senior, Johnny Sims, commented. "But then again it's his right to express his opinion, I'm not going to deny it from him."

A statement from the superintendent of the El Rancho High School District said he's launching an investigation and will take appropriate action.

Salcido also serves as a Pico Rivera city councilmen.

"The citizens of Pico Rivera were coming up to me and saying, 'why doesn't this man resign?'" fellow council member, Bob Archuleta, said. "Why does't he understand that he's given us a black eye in the city of Pico Rivera?"

Outside the school on Monday, a handful of military supporters raised the American Flag in opposition to Salcido.

Some students don't want to see the teacher back in the classroom.

"He definitely shouldn't be saying stuff like that in a classroom with impressionable kids," sophomore, Raudel Delatore, said.

On Salcido's personal Facebook page he posted a statement which reads in part, "I don't think it's wise for me to make any specific comments, but I want my friends, family, and students to know we are fine and we respect the rights of free expression for all individuals."

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