Maxine Davey | Editor in Chief
January 12, 2021
According to photo and video evidence, Kristine Hostetter, a fourth grade teacher at Vista Del Mar, attended the pro-Trump protest at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on January 6 with her husband, Alan Hostetter.
Mr. Hostetter is the founder of The American Phoenix Project, a group dedicated to “standing guard against enemies of the constitution in its original form.” Mr. Hostetter has organized marches protesting Governor Newsom’s statewide closures and mask mandates, most notably the “San Clemente Freedom March” on March 13 and the mask-burning rally at the pier on November 23. In May, Hostetter was arrested while attempting to destroy the pier fence constructed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. In a speech to the OC Board of Supervisors in July, Mr. Hostetter proclaimed that the coronavirus was not causing a local health emergency and shamed Black Lives Matter protesters and the organization itself as “a Marxist domestic terror group dedicated to the killing of police officers.”
A video from the American Phoenix Project Instagram (@americanphoenixproject) identifies Mrs. Hostetter carrying an American flag beside Mr. Hostetter as he narrates their march to the Ellipse and describes their plan to end up at the Capitol. In the video, Mr. Hostetter proclaimed that they would not be entering the Ellipse because they were carrying “personal protective gear in backpacks…that they [security ] won’t allow in.”
In a since-deleted video from the same Instagram account, Mr. Hostetter filmed a video of the insurrection from the top of the Capitol building. It is unclear whether Mrs. Hostetter accompanied him during the break-in.
A post from CUSD Against Racism, an organization fighting racism and magnifying BIPOC voices in the district, demanded via petition the school district conduct an investigation of Mrs. Hostetter’s actions at the Capitol, suspend Mrs. Hostetter until a conclusion is reached, and remove her from the classroom if conclusive evidence proves her involvement in the Capitol break-in. More than 5,900 signatures have been collected so so far. Conversely, many have come to Mrs. Hostetter’s defense by creating a petition in response to show their support. This petition has received more than 1,500 signatures.
CUSD released a district-wide statement on January 9 condemning the events at the Capitol, and the elementary principal at Vista Del Mar, Troy Hunt, has stated that “HR is looking into the matter” of whether Mrs. Hostetter was an active participant. Parents of Mrs. Hostetter’s students have confirmed she has not been in the classroom since before January 6. Mr. Hunt and the CUSD Human Resources Services department have no additional comments at this time.
CUSD students have reacted strongly to the news of Mrs. Hostetter’s involvement. “Fourth graders are at an extremely impressionable age,” a former student and SCHS alum said. “How can she teach fourth grade when she refuses to acknowledge the threat of a global pandemic and the need for mask-wearing to ensure public safety? How can she resolve issues amongst classmates regarding fairness if she refuses to accept the results of a presidential election by engaging in a protest aimed to disrupt a constitutional transition of power?”
Other students and parents have been quick to vouch for Mrs. Hostetter’s character and success at keeping politics out of the classroom. “Mrs. Hostetter is the last teacher I would ever say was anything other than fair and equal, both politically and racially,” CUSD parent and schoolteacher Denise Martinez said. “I can make [sic] plenty of other teachers in the district that have tried to push their political views on my children and she is definitely not one of them.”
UPDATE: Mrs. Hostetter has returned to teaching after an investigation. The story was picked up by The New York Times.
I have never heard a bad word about this woman, nor do I have an issue with her teaching my child…. as long as she teaches the curriculum and keeps her politics out of the classroom. An unpopular viewpoint does not make someone bad or incapable of doing their job. Now if she participate d in the Capitol break in however, she may have to pay for that. If she broke a law then let the legal system run its course. We are not a country of vigilantes or Jacobins.
Agreed, Mr. Paine. Freedom of speech and right to protest are fundamental American freedoms and essential to democracy. Hopefully the investigation finds no evidence that could legally incriminate Mrs. Hostetter.
Except she didn’t peacefully protest did she. She was amongst those who seek to destroy the capitol while trying to “protect” the constitution. Now if I’m not mistaken, it says that we live in a democracy. Get your head out of the gutter and stop trying to defend these terrorists.
As a lifelong Democrat with a lifelong tolerant attitude towards people who disagree with me, I continue to be alarmed by litmus tests placed on public and semi-public figures in today’s highly politicized environment. It was wrong when Angela Davis was fired in 1969. It was wrong when Bret Weinstein was fired in 2017. It is wrong four years later. And there is no point in identifying yourself as a “liberal” if you are constantly making excuses for your dogmatic crusades to ruin the lives of those who don’t agree with every last item in your agenda. Either lose your hypocrisy and stop persecuting people who disagree with you or own your partisan bias and just admit that your goal is to destroy people who don’t think like you. Even that would be more honorable of you.
I’ll be signing the petition to keep this dangerous creature away from children ….. permanently.
Such a sad and disappointing day. As the articles state, there has been no evidence of anything more than walking during a protest. I surely do not believe that all protestors want to be viewed by their opposition as those who riot, loot, and destroy. We saw this during all of the Black Lives Matter protests, no? Is this not the exact same thing? Were any teachers or faculty involved in those protests put under investigation for “lack of social distancing”? Were they held accountable and put on admin leave for an investigation to see if they were involved in any of the looting, destruction, etc we saw on tv all summer? I have love for all, except for those who think this cancel culture we live in is the way to go. If someone is found guilty, punish them. If you falsely charge or accuse someone, be held accountable. I love to see students and faculty joining together to better a cause, not to slander someone’s name for protesting something they don’t understand or agree with. Come on students and faculty, please be better than this.
Innocent until proven guilty? Or are we now a society of guilty because people raise their voices with no direct evidence to back their story?
Hi Mr. Brown! Mrs. Hostetter is not under investigation for “lack of social distancing” but whether or not she was involved in the insurrection at the Capitol (since there is evidence her husband was, there is reason to believe she was a participant as well). We have not received any evidence or reports regarding teachers being involved in violence over the summer, and if we had, we would have written about it. Right to protest is incredibly important and a core value of our democracy, whether it be for BLM or in D.C. Hopefully Mrs. Hostetter was not directly involved so she can resume teaching as soon as possible.
I appreciate your articulated response. Mrs. Hostetter is accused of being involved in violence there must be some incriminating info of her doing more than simply protesting that I am not aware of. In that case, my mistake. Otherwise, the comment above stating her as a “monster” is apart of this cancel culture that we unfortunately live in where one is called a monster despite any decision’s or charges being proven true.
Excuse me “dangerous creature”
Guilt by association (or marriage, for that matter) is not evidence. We should have learned that from the McCarthyism of the 1950s.
The members of CUSD Against Racism have the First Amendment right to organize rallies that CUSD teachers can peacefully attend without fear of being publicly threatened with investigation or suspension, or retaliated against in any way by the school system.
This teacher has that right as well.
Guilt by association may not equal guilty, but when she is married to this guy who has been arrested for having a temper tantrum, and spreads propaganda about BLM, as well as propaganda about COVID, and he forms some extremist right wing group AND he marches on the capital in what can only be described as insurrection, but a peaceful protest to the white privileged crowd, AND she stays married to this person?? Seriously, are you drinking the Kool-Aid in the Dealth Cult of tRump? This “teacher” of children has some serious judgment issues and if you can’t recognize that, then you do too! I wouldn’t let that racist, psycho anywhere near my kids!
This woman is a racist and hates America. She shouldn’t be allowed in the classroom. She has other racist protecting her in the area. She shoulnt be allowed to teach children.
Your mom’s a racist.
Great article. I appreciate the professionalism and fact based reporting. Well done!