AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Education Agency (TEA) said it’s investigating educators’ social media posts related to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that it considers “inappropriate,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said in a letter to schools Friday.
“These educators’ comments do not reflect the vast majority of Texas teachers who are dedicated practitioners that work diligently to serve the more than 5.5 million impressionable young minds in our classrooms,” Morath said in the letter.
Kirk was fatally shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Morath went on in the letter to say that those posts “could constitute a violation of the Educators’ Code of Ethics.” He added each post “will be thoroughly reviewed and investigated.”
“While the exercise of free speech is a fundamental right we are all blessed to share, it does not give carte blanche authority to celebrate or sow violence against those that share differing believes and perspectives,” Morath said.
He added in the letter that anyone who sees the inappropriate content being shared should report it to the TEA’s Misconduct Reporting Portal.
“Respect is a core tenet of what we teach and reinforce to our students, and together, we can ensure that such values continue to be reflected in our Texas public schools,” Morath said.
On Friday, Klein ISD posted on social media that they terminated an employee that made remarks about Kirk. The statement on social media said that that “conduct does not reflect the values, standards, or expectations of our school district and will never be tolerated.”
President of the Texas American Federation of Teachers Zeph Capo said the TEA is taking it too far with their actions.
“Some would say it’s not the right time—and we completely understand that—but timing should not be the reason for firing,” Capo said. “People still have a First Amendment right to speak out on matters of civil discourse, without threats.”
Capo called on the TEA to work with “through the issues people are having,” rather than “turning it up with investigations.”
State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, praised the TEA’s efforts. He emphasized anyone who publicly celebrated the assassination of Kirk “has no business teaching in any public school in the state of Texas.”
“Nobody’s going to trample anybody’s first amendment rights,” Harrison said. “But that doesn’t mean that if you’re going to be a taxpayer funded employee of the state of Texas, that you’re allowed to violate your code of ethics and celebrate and sort of proselytize a celebration of this despicable act of political violence.”
Read the full letter from Morath, as provided by the TEA below: