Four public school teachers in Osceola County face an investigation over social media posts following Florida’s warning that teachers could be punished for publicly making “disgusting comments” about the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
A spokeswoman for the Osceola school district confirmed the investigations Monday but did not provide information on who the teachers were or what their posts said.
The investigations come as Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas warned teachers Thursday that “vile” public comments about the “horrific assassination” of Kirk could get them reprimanded. Kirk was killed Wednesday at an event at a Utah university.
“We have four teachers currently under investigation regarding the memo from Commissioner Kamoutsas,” spokesperson Dana Schafer said in an email.
Schafer said the four instructors are on “alternative assignment” while the district investigates. The Osceola County School Board could take action against them at its next meeting in October, she said.
An Instagram post from a Celebration K-8 School teacher made the rounds through conservative social media accounts over the weekend. In the post, the teacher wrote “protect ur rights brother!!!! so proud of you taking this one for the team” over a quote from Kirk in which he said “some” gun deaths were worth it to preserve Second Amendment rights.
Thursday, Kamoutsas sent Florida’s school superintendents a letter — which he asked them to share with teachers — promising to investigate any teacher who engaged in “this vile, sanctionable behavior.” Florida law gives Kamoutsas authority to sanction educators’ teaching certificates.
He said that while educators have First Amendment rights, they also have professional duties as teachers and publicly sharing their personal views could “undermine the trust” of students and families.
That day, the Clay County school district in North Florida confirmed it had suspended an elementary school teacher after she reportedly posted on social media of Kirk’s death, “This may not be the obituary we were all hoping to wake up to, but this is a close second for me.”
Kirk’s killing sparked strong and mixed responses on social media, with some mourning the charismatic 31-year-old and others resurfacing and denouncing Kirk’s comments they disliked.
Across the country, employees have been ousted from their jobs after making negative posts about Kirk, the Associated Press reported. Several conservative activists, the AP said, have sought to identify social media users whose posts about Kirk they viewed as offensive or celebratory.
Clay Calvert, a first amendment expert and former director of the University of Florida’s Brechner First Amendment Project, said public employees have the right to speak out on their own time on matters of public concern — but that right is not absolute.
If a teacher’s speech, including social media posts, disrupts the educational environment or makes students feel uncomfortable, the school’s interest in maintaining an effective learning environment can outweigh First Amendment rights, he said.
“When you go to work for the government and you’re hired to deliver that class — you’re not hired to deliver to the students your opinions,” Calvert said.
Teachers expressing disagreement with Kirk’s opinions should fall under protected speech, he said, but teachers posting they’re glad he is dead might rightly face problems.
Kamoutsas’ letter wasn’t surprising given Florida’s political climate, and it will likely have a chilling effect on the state’s teachers and their willingness to speak out even in ways that are protected by the First Amendment, he added.
