Some educators who lost jobs over Charlie Kirk comments are now suing

signalmankenneth said:
Some educators who lost their jobs over comments they made in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's slaying have filed lawsuits claiming their free speech rights were violated.

The school and university employees who have filed suits are some of the dozens of workers across a slew of fields fired or suspended from their jobs or subject to other consequences for their controversial comments, according to a USA TODAY count of news reports and statements. The count includes at least 50 educators.

At least three are fighting back in court, according to reporting by the USA TODAY Network. They include a teacher in Iowa who compared Kirk to a Nazi; a South Carolina teacher's assistant who posted a Kirk quote and said she disagreed with him but called the death a "tragedy"; and an employee of an Indiana university who said Kirk's death was wrong and condemned some of his beliefs.

Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of the conservative youth-focused organization Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was killed on Sept. 10 while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Shooting suspect Tyler Robinson has been charged with his murder and accused of firing a single shot with a rifle from a rooftop.

The killing sparked a tense national debate over partisan rhetoric and politically motivated violence, with many conservatives calling for the firing of otherwise non-public figures who celebrated Kirk's death or spoke ill of him in some way.

The three educators – all employed by public school districts and a public university – are protected by the constitutional right to free speech, they argued in separate lawsuits filed in September. A suit filed by former Oskaloosa High School teacher Matthew Kargol in Iowa argued the school district "wielded state power to punish a citizen for expressing his opinion on political issues," reported the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network.

"Their actions strike at the heart of the First Amendment and chill the exercise of constitutional rights," Kargol's complaint said.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/educators-lost-jobs-over-charlie-151404158.html

MOURNING THE LOSS OF FREE SPEECH​

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Deport the pieces of shit.
 
Poor Richard Saunders said:
Should this statement get someone fired?

“If you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can’t be friends.”
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That's a really interesting question. It doesn't call for violence so that should be protected speech. At the same time you get into the office culture and public image perspective of how it's received.

So it's not a legal debate because that's legal speech, rather its about do we want employers deciding if speech outside the workplace can cost someone their job.
 
cawacko said:
That's a really interesting question. It doesn't call for violence so that should be protected speech. At the same time you get into the office culture and public image perspective of how it's received.

So it's not a legal debate because that's legal speech, rather its about do we want employers deciding if speech outside the workplace can cost someone their job.
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The employers being government.
 
Poor Richard Saunders said:
Should this statement get someone fired?

“If you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can’t be friends.”
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The reason that this statement, given by a teacher, to a child-student, should cause the teacher to be fired, is in part, the same reason that the CIA experiments into mind control, in the MKUltra projects, were illegal, and unacceptable.

en.wikipedia.org

MKUltra - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Think it through!

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Kurmugeon said:
If said by the authority figure of a first or second grade teacher, said to a vulnerable, looking for friendship and emotional security seeking student, causing the kid to become, upset, indoctrinated, and radicalized...

Yes!

Context and Interposition of Roles matters allot.

As a Adult to Adult in a known Satirical Conversation, No problem.

Between Avatars on a rough and tumble political forum, Expected.

As a Parent to Child, or Adult-Teacher to Child-Student, Huge Problem.

Teachers, Coaches, School Counselors, Priests, Cops, Mayors... all have sensitive, responsible and potentially destructive roles. There is much less freedom of speech available to people who choose to work in such positions.

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1000 percent...
 
Were they off-duty?

AI Overview


The Hatch Act restricts partisan political activities for most federal executive branch employees, as well as some state and local employees who work on federally funded programs
. The law aims to ensure government business is conducted in a nonpartisan manner and protect employees from political coercion. The specific rules regarding political advocacy vary depending on whether an employee is "less restricted" or "further restricted".

General rules for all public employees


    • Political activity on duty is prohibited. Employees cannot engage in partisan political activity while on duty, in a federal building or vehicle, or while wearing an official uniform or insignia. This includes using government-owned email or social media for political purposes.
    • Official authority cannot be used for politics. You cannot use your official title or position to influence an election or suggest that subordinates participate in political events.
    • Soliciting political contributions is banned. Employees cannot solicit, accept, or receive political contributions at any time. Social media posts or shares linking to fundraising pages are also prohibited.
    • Expressing opinions is generally allowed. Off duty, employees can generally express their opinions about candidates and issues. However, if expressing a partisan opinion on social media, you must not use your official title or position.
"Less restricted" employees

This group includes most federal employees. They may participate in a wider range of political activities when they are not on duty or in the workplace.

Permitted activities (off duty):


    • Campaigning: Campaign for or against candidates in partisan elections, make campaign speeches, and distribute campaign literature.
    • Volunteering: Work on a partisan political campaign.
    • Contributions: Contribute money to political campaigns, parties, or groups.
    • Political events: Attend political rallies and fundraising functions.
    • Social media: Post, "like," or "share" partisan political content, as long as it is done on personal time and does not solicit contributions.
Prohibited activities (at all times):


    • Be a candidate for public office in a partisan election.
    • Solicit contributions.
"Further restricted" employees

This group includes employees in specific agencies (such as the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service), career members of the Senior Executive Service (SES), and administrative law judges. They are barred from taking an active part in partisan political management or campaigns at any time.

Permitted activities (off duty):


    • Express opinions: Express personal opinions about candidates and issues.
    • Vote and attend: Register and vote as they choose, and attend political rallies and meetings.
    • Contribute: Contribute money to political campaigns or parties.
Prohibited activities (at all times):


    • Campaigning: Cannot campaign for or against partisan candidates.
    • Holding party office: Cannot hold office in political clubs or parties.
    • Social media: Cannot share or link to partisan campaign material.
    • Candidacy: Cannot be a candidate for public office in a partisan election.
Resources for guidance

For specific questions, public employees can contact their agency's ethics official or the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), which enforces the Hatch Act.

When your schools take Federal money, you live by Federal rules.

All public school districts in the U.S. are independent and run by locally elected school boards; they are not required to take Federal money, period. As far as I know, they aren't required to take state money either, but I don't know that for sure yet.
 
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Teachers do not have a "Free Speech Right" to use their position and access to turn students into political assassins.

Or anything that comes even remotely close to attempting to do such a thing.

Being a teacher is similar to being a cop, nurse, or a military member, it is not a career that is available to people of all backgrounds and temperaments.

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Kurmugeon said:
Teachers do not have a "Free Speech Right" to use their position and access to turn students into political assassins.

Or anything that comes even remotely close to attempting to do such a thing.

Being a teacher is similar to being a cop, nurse, or a military member, it is not a career that is available to people of all backgrounds and temperaments.

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Imagine thinking that's what happened.

spit-take.gif
 
Just because you can achieve an outcome by using speech, does not mean that you have 1st amendment "Right" to cause such an outcome.

Shouting "Fire" in a crowded theatre is not a free speech right.

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Educators do not get first amendment freedoms in the classroom. If they did, all y'all's kids would still be learning about "Directed Evolution" or even just "Creation Theory" in science classes and teacher led prayer in the classroom would be just fine and dandy.

If you are willing to let that happen, then get back to us, but until then... Telling children that a victim of a crime is a "Nazi" because you do not like his politics is out of bounds and you can wait to teach lowballed values of politically based hatred to your own kids on your own time, you don't get to devalue a human being based on your own political affiliation in the classroom.
 
Damocles said:
Educators do not get first amendment freedoms in the classroom. If they did, all y'all's kids would still be learning about "Directed Evolution" or even just "Creation Theory" in science classes and teacher led prayer in the classroom would be just fine and dandy.

If you are willing to let that happen, then get back to us, but until then... Telling children that a victim of a crime is a "Nazi" because you do not like his politics is out of bounds and you can wait to teach lowballed values of politically based hatred to your own kids on your own time, you don't get to devalue a human being based on your own political affiliation in the classroom.
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Who told the children that?
 
Original poster , who chose to cherry pick her comments is responsible for posting everything that she wrote... And the reason she was dismissed... She won't be returning to her position...she doesn't want to... So All is well...
 
Kurmugeon said:
Teachers do not have a "Free Speech Right" to use their position and access to turn students into political assassins.

Or anything that comes even remotely close to attempting to do such a thing.

Being a teacher is similar to being a cop, nurse, or a military member, it is not a career that is available to people of all backgrounds and temperaments.

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Nursing shouldn't have been available to this : https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Crghpxt8f/
 
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