Tag: public schools

Transgender Canadian school shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar’s father distances himself from killer son: I ‘was not part of his life’

The estranged biological father of transgender school shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar is trying to distance himself from his murderous son — while referring to him with male pronouns and his mother’s surname.

Justin Van Rootselaar released a statement insisting he is not to blame for the heartbreak his 18-year-old son, Jesse, inflicted on the small community of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia, Canada, when he gunned down eight people, including six children.

“I was estranged from Jesse Strang and was not part of his life,” he told the CBC in a statement, using the last name of the shooter’s mom, Jennifer Strang, who was among the eight shot dead Tuesday.

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San Jose assistant principal among 11 arrested for allegedly communicating with minors for sex, police say

An assistant principal at a San Jose middle school was among a group of people arrested during a police operation targeting adults seeking minors online to engage in sexual activity, authorities announced on Wednesday.

The San Jose Police Department said in press releases that the operation was part of a broader effort to target child exploitation and human trafficking ahead of Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Police said the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force arrested 11 people between Feb. 3 and Feb. 6 in an undercover chat operation.

During the operation, undercover police and FBI agents identified 31-year-old Ruben Guzman, assistant principal at Sunrise Middle School, as a potential suspect and began an investigation. On Feb. 3, Guzman began communicating with someone he believed was a 13-year-old boy, telling him that he wanted to engage in sexual acts, and offering money in exchange, according to police. 

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We Have Now Reached “Gunperson”-Level Absurdity

By now you’ve surely heard about Tuesday’s horrific school shooting in Tumbler Ridge—a tiny, remote Canadian town where the biggest excitement is probably a moose spotting on Nextdoor—that left nine people dead and more than two dozen injured. Monstrous would be an insult to monsters everywhere.

It’s the deadliest mass shooting Canada has seen in more than thirty years. The details are unimaginable, the community is destroyed, survivors are traumatized for life, and none of it is even remotely funny. The news coverage, however, could easily be nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the Outstanding Comedy Writing category.

Within minutes of the rampage, alerts went out describing the suspect as a “female in a dress.”

The minute I saw that, I knew.

I mean, have you ever—even once—seen an alleged perpetrator described as a “male in pants” or a “female wearing shoes?” Of course not! It’s “armed female” or “adult male” or, if the subject is still on the loose, maybe “a white male in a neon green hoodie and purple parachute pants.” But never-not-ever is it “a human in human clothing.” They only threw the dress part in there to avoid stating a politically inconvenient fact, upsetting advertisers, or toppling their own carefully constructed narrative.

By the time officials reached the podium to deliver a press briefing, the description had morphed into “a gunperson.” A gunperson. As if the word “shooter” was insufficiently inclusive or somehow accidentally implied gender? The press spent more time agonizing over culturally sanitized euphemisms than reporting the actual details of the crime.

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CONFIRMED: Canada School Shooter who Killed 9, Injured 25 Identified as Transgender Ex-Student Despite Officials’ Attempts to Hide Biological Gender

The suspect who opened fire on a school in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon has been identified as biological male 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a transgender ex-student at the school who began transitioning at approximately 12 years old. 

Notably, this comes just months after a transgender shooter opened fire, shooting through the windows of the church at Annunciation Catholic School as students attended mass during the first week of the school year late last Summer. Robin Westman, who was born Robert Westman, glorified past shooters and hated God and religious conservatives, according to his manifesto, which was uploaded to YouTube videos prior to the shooting.

Now, it’s been confirmed that the shooter not only identified as transgender, but he had also been taken into custody for a mental health assessment and had firearms removed from his home previously, according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald.

The New York Post reports that Van Rootselaar dropped out of the high school approximately four years ago.

More from the New York Post:

The horrifying attack, one of the deadliest shootings in Canada’s history, began Tuesday at a residence in the sleepy rural community of Tumbler Ridge, in the western province, and concluded at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School — where authorities say Van Rootselaar died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Van Rootselaar was identified Wednesday as the shooter by Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, who said he was “born a biological male … who approximately six years ago began to transition to female, and identified as female.”

Asked by a reporter whether he believes there was any correlation between Van Rootselaar identifying as transgender and the shooting, McDonald said it’s “too early to say.”

McDonald said police had visited the family home on multiple occasions over the last several years due to concerns over Van Rootselaar’s mental health.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald only admitted that the 18-year-old was born a male when he was pressed on why police were “hiding” the biological gender of the shooter.

“We identify the suspect as they chose to be identified in public and in social media,” he told reporters during a press conference earlier. “I can say that Jesse was born as a biological male, who approximately– the information that I have– approximately six years ago began to transition to female and identified as female both socially and publicly.

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Scathing report reveals Antifa-linked org passing out material to K-12 students: ‘Political revolution’

A newly unearthed training guidebook from the far-left activist group Sunrise Movement calls on both college and K-12 students to engage in monthly disruptions and “mass non-cooperation” as part of a coordinated effort to spark a “political revolution” across the United States.

The 25-page document, obtained by Defending Education, focuses on mobilizing youth against what it describes as a “regime” and a “system captured by billionaires,” urges students to walk out of classrooms and boycott businesses in an attempt to prove that the country cannot function without their cooperation.

“We’re not going to get there overnight, and we’re not here to get back to the status quo,” the guidebook says. “We’re here to win a political revolution. This is your guide to start winning at your school right now.”

Pushing back against ICE is a major theme in the document that appears to have been spread to students in Minnesota and across the country and has made that central pillar of its recent advocacy, framing the agency as an “occupying army” and a “personal gestapo” for the Trump administration. 

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Jesse Strang, 18, named as Canadian school shooter who murdered eight before dying by suicide

A gunman who murdered nine people in the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history has been named as Jesse Strang, who is reported to be transgender. 

Strang, 18, opened fire in the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on Tuesday afternoon, a parent whose son attends the school told the Daily Mail. Six people were killed at the school and a seventh died en route to the hospital. 

Strang took his own life at the school. He killed his mother Jennifer and brother Emmett at their home beforehand, CTV News reported. 

Strang was named by police on Wednesday as Jesse Van Rootselaar. He is understood to have used his mother’s name, Strang, socially and at school. 

Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Strang killed a female teacher, three girls and two boys aged between 13 and 17. They added that a tenth victim reported to have died after being rushed to hospital actually survived their injuries.  

The parent, who requested to remain anonymous, said his son knew Strang’s family and played sports with one of his siblings. 

His son was at the academic institution Tuesday when Strang carried out the deadly massacre. He is now ‘afraid to go back to school’, his father added.

Juno News and Western Standard News were among the first publications to identify Strang and described the shooter as a biological male who identifies as a woman named Jess. 

Royal Canadian Mounted Police refused to confirm Strang’s identity and whether he was transgender after being contacted by the Daily Mail. Authorities have only identified the shooter as a ‘female in a dress’.

Six people were killed and 25 injured at the school and an additional victim died on the way to the hospital, police said. Two more people were found dead at a nearby home believed to be connected to the deadly attack. 

Sources told the Daily Mail that Strang lived at the home with three relatives. 

Strang’s uncle Russell, who told Juno News she was responsible for the shooting, said the suspected shooter was ‘transgender’. 

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California Teacher Placed on Administrative Leave After Angry Mob Went After Her for Celebrating ICE on Facebook

A Northern California special education teacher has been placed on administrative leave after posting a comment endorsing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Facebook.

Sarai Jimenez, a teaching intern at MacQuiddy Elementary School in Watsonville, made the comment last month with her now-deleted Facebook account.

Responding to news of ICE presence in the area, she wrote simply, “Yay!!! We need ICE in Watsonville!! It’s been getting out of hand.”

The post quickly caught the attention of local activists, and the backlash intensified after recent ICE arrests in the town.

According to a report from the New York Post, Jimenez was threatened by multiple people, with one vowing to “pop her tires.”

Another outraged anti-ICE liberal labeled her a “shameful disgraceful disgusting woman” and suggested she might harm immigrant children in her care.

“Who knows what you’ll do behind closed doors to the kids of parents that are immigrants,” the person wrote.

Of course, liberal activists began rallying to make calls to the school and demand her termination.

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Former Jefferson County Public Schools counselor pleads guilty to child sex assault

A former Jefferson County Public Schools social worker took a deal and pleaded guilty Monday to sexually assaulting a child, court records show.

Chloe Rose Castro, a 29-year-old woman from Lakewood, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, a felony, according to Jefferson County court records. The plea deal dropped a second child sex assault charge and one count of internet luring of a child from her case, court records show.

The woman faces an open-ended, or “indeterminate,” sentence that will last from a minimum of four years to a maximum of life in prison when she is sentenced on April 2, according to a news release from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Castro was arrested in November 2024 after the victim’s parents found “evidence of a sexual relationship” and reported Castro to the Arvada Police Department, prosecutors said in the release.

The parents told police that they found inappropriate social media messages between their child and Castro, according to an arrest affidavit. Police said the student attended an online school at the time, but he often met Castro behind the Apex Center — a recreation center in Arvada.

The unidentified student, who was younger than 15 when the assault happened, said Castro “really understood him” and that “she was the only person he could trust.” He said they had plans to move to California and New Mexico to “create a new life together,” according to the affidavit.

Castro and the student met outside of school for the first time in May 2024, police stated in the affidavit. They often met in a spot behind the recreation center, where they would kiss and touch each other, according to the document. They also met in Castro’s office at least once.

The two would text and exchange messages on Instagram, including nude photos, according to the arrest affidavit. They deleted the messages nightly out of fear of being caught, police said.

No other victims came forward after Castro’s arrest, according to the DA’s office.

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Congress Members Urge DOJ to Investigate 4 States That Prohibit Religious Exemptions

A coalition of federal lawmakers today urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate four states whose laws prohibit religious exemptions for school vaccine mandates.

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, lawmakers warned that vaccine mandate laws in New York, California, Maine and Connecticut violate the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause.

Lawmakers also asked the DOJ to intervene in two New York lawsuits where Children’s Health Defense (CHD) is either a plaintiff or is financing the case.

Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) is the lead author of the letter, which is also addressed to Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for Civil Rights.

As of this afternoon, 13 Congress members had signed the letter.

“Religious freedom is the cornerstone of our Republic,” Steube said in a statement to The Defender. “It is inexcusable that New York, California, Maine, and Connecticut refuse to provide people of faith with a religious exemption from their vaccine mandates. This is not only a direct violation of the Free Exercise Clause, but it is also a grave assault on civil liberties.”

He added:

“Your constitutional rights should never take a backseat to a vaccine mandate. That is why I am requesting Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon launch formal investigations of all states that continue to violate the constitutional rights of the American people via coercion and infringement on their religious beliefs.”

Allowing the four states to violate citizens’ constitutional rights has emboldened states like Massachusetts and Hawaii, which are considering eliminating religious exemptions for vaccines, to “further encroach upon Americans’ rights,” according to the lawmakers.

The four states make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population, said Cait Corrigan, a former congressional candidate from New York and a medical freedom advocate who helped raise awareness at the federal level and worked with Steube’s office on the effort.

Corrigan said she hopes the DOJ will intervene in “the tragedy that is happening in these four states.”

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Anti-ICE Resistance Manuals and Training Discovered at Minnesota Schools Receiving Federal Funding

Minnesota ICE Watch, the organization that Renee Good and her wife were members of, distributed a document known as the “De-Arrest Primer,” which instructs activists on how to physically interfere with law enforcement officers during arrests. The manual provides detailed guidance on pulling detainees from officers’ grips, pushing and pulling officers, breaking holds, and opening law enforcement vehicles to free suspects.

The manual also teaches the use of coordinated chanting to create confusion and overwhelm officers during active arrests, as well as surrounding officers until they release detainees.

The guide openly acknowledges that these actions may constitute criminal offenses but argues that the risk is justified. Each successful interference is described as a “micro-intifada,” framed as a tactic meant to spread, replicate, and inspire wider disruption. The manual claims these methods originated in pro-Palestinian campus protests and presents them as a model for broader resistance activity.

While no single formal publisher is identified, the manual appears to originate from broader activist and radical networks that promote direct physical interference with law enforcement. It has circulated widely through Instagram and other activist communication channels and has been used in training individuals described as “constitutional observers” or “ICE watchers.”

Minnesota ICE Watch reposted the manual in June, prior to the 2026 surge in anti-ICE activity, and linked it to training sessions focused on disrupting arrests.

Mainstream media coverage has frequently described ICE Watch activity as “nonviolent observation,” omitting the physical interference tactics detailed in the manual. The document, however, is clear evidence of organized agitation and deliberate instruction in confronting law enforcement.

Numerous anti-ICE training handbooks and manuals are being produced and circulated in the United States. Some are linked to specific anti-ICE resistance groups that also provide training, organize protests, and conduct patrols. These include organizations such as COPAL MN (Comunidades Organizando El Poder y la Acción Latina), the Immigrant Defense Network (IDN), and related groups.

Much of the training, organizing, and distribution of anti-ICE resistance has taken place at schools receiving public funds, raising questions about whether groups instigating actions against the government should be allowed to receive taxpayer money. Furthermore, mainstream media have attempted to present the anti-ICE resistance training at schools as a reaction to the Renee Good shooting. However, many of these groups were already active at schools prior to the January 7, 2026 shooting.

Because of the deployment of nearly 3,000 ICE agents to the area in late 2025, several parent-teacher groups at the school attended by Renee Good’s son had already formed volunteer “safety committees.”

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