Students show support for Rafe Esquith amid LAUSD investigation

KOREATOWN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Parents, teachers and students of Hobart Elementary School held a rally in front of the campus Monday morning in response to the removal of fifth-grade teacher Rafe Esquith.

Esquith, 61, gained fame across the country for his innovative and successful teaching methods at the school. He exposed his students to the arts and some of its biggest names, including actor Ian McKellen who visited Esquith's classroom in 1999.

Current and past Hobart students are upset that Esquith was removed from the classroom because he is under investigation by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Esquith was removed from the classroom after allegations of misconduct, which includes allegations of inappropriate touching of minors.

Now, he is suing the school district, claiming defemation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, retaliation and age discrimination.

His attorney Ben Meiselas calls the probe an unwarranted "witch hunt."

"Rafe poses a threat that his students finish top of their class through music, through the classics and not through iPads, not through throwing money at problems," he said.

LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines said in a statement that the district "has a duty to fully investigate the allegations against Mr. Eqsuith before making any decisions to return him to his classroom...We certainly intend for this to be done as quickly as possible, but we must ensure that it is done right."

But getting Esquith back into the classroom isn't the only goal. His attorney said an even bigger lawsuit is on the way. Meiselas said his firm is already representing about 1,000 other LAUSD teachers in what he said will be the biggest class action lawsuit in the history of public education.

Actors such as McKellen and Hal Holbrook are also lending their support to Esquith and his students. The pair participated in a video put together by Hobart Shakespeareans.