The ideological battle over what teachers may say online has intensified in Texas following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, as the states largest teachers union moves to shield educators who publicly celebrated his death.
According to Western Journal, the American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit on January 6 seeking to stop Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath from probing teachers social media posts that mocked or cheered Kirks murder. The legal action, reported by The Texas Tribune, focuses on four specific educators whom the union claims were subjected to unjust discipline for their online behavior.
The lawsuit contends that these teachers were punished solely for their speech, without any regard to whether the posts disrupted school operations in any way. In its complaint, the union alleged that Morath unleashed a wave of retaliation and disciplinary actions against teachers when he directed school districts to report reprehensible and inappropriate comments about Kirk posted by educators.
The American Federation of Teachers further argues that local superintendents cannot be compelled to report such conduct if it falls under the umbrella of constitutionally protected speech. Yet the controversy stems from a disturbing reality: a nontrivial number of Texas teachers publicly reveled in the killing of a Christian husband and father whose organization has been a prominent voice for conservative students.
By October, more than 350 questionable posts by educators had been flagged, and as of Jan. 5, 95 investigations remained open. Rather than acknowledge the legitimate concern parents might have about entrusting their children to adults who celebrate political violence, union leaders have chosen to portray the teachers as victims of a political crackdown.
Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, denounced the investigations in a statement highlighted by The Hill. Somewhere and somehow, our states leaders lost their way. A few well-placed Texas politicians and bureaucrats think it is good for their careers to trample on educators free speech rights, he asserted.
They decided scoring a few cheap points was worth the unfair discipline, the doxxing, and the death threats targeted at Texas teachers, Capo added. Meanwhile, educators and their families are afraid that theyll lose everything: their livelihoods, their reputations, and their very purpose for being, which is to impart critical thinking.
The case now forces a stark question: Should those entrusted with shaping childrens character face scrutiny when they publicly applaud the murder of a political opponent, or must the state stand down in the name of free speech even when that speech reveals open contempt for basic civility and human life?
Login