Don't know what civil rights legal protections apply to political views. Does this come under "creed?" Good question.

There are degrees in all things. Obviously, there is a difference between someone who actively promotes full-blown socialism and Marxism, and your run-of-the-mill Nader-voting liberal. The teacher you described was a fairly run-of-the-mill conservative. Now, had he promoted more bizarre far-right views, such as believing that all the blacks should be sent back to Africa, we might be talking a whole different perspective on whether or not he should be a teacher.

Of course in a free country it should be up to the universities who they should hire. I'm just pushing the view that maybe they should take some of the Leftist blinders off, and use a little more perspective based on real history. And it's not like the hiring people are all that "equal opportunity" about political views anyway. I would bet good money that your conservative high school teacher wouldn't stand much of a chance being given tenure at a typical liberal university.