Schools officials in Orange and Los Angeles counties are investigating two teachers for alleged actions or social media posts after last week’s assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
In Orange County, a Villa Park High teacher allegedly removed a memorial to Kirk that was set up by students. In another, a Las Virgines school district teacher was placed on leave after school officials said the instructor was linked to a social media post calling Kirk a “filthy Nazi propaganda-spewing misogynist who got what he deserved.”
The episodes unfolded amid a string nationwide of situations in which employees were fired or suspended after being accused of publicly applauding the death of Kirk, who was shot at a Utah college campus. Public and private employees have used rough, celebratory or crude language — typically on social media — in response to Kirk’s death. While Kirk, who was 31, relished the give-and-take of debates, his own polarizing statements have long attracted sharp criticism as well as admirers and millions of social media followers.
The post linked to the local teacher, , also stated that, “REAL Christians, REAL people of faith would NEVER support this fake Christian who was so un-Christ-like and full of hatred for people of color, LGBTQIA+ PEOPLE, and women.”
The original posts appear to be no longer publicly available, but screenshots have been posted by those who have called for firing the teacher.
The Las Virgenes school district responded quickly on Facebook:
“We are shocked and deeply dismayed by the vile and completely inappropriate sentiments displayed in a social media post made by one of our employees regarding the recent horrific murder of Charlie Kirk,” the district said. “The employee has been placed on an immediate leave while the District engages in the legally required investigation and procedures to move forward with termination.”
The statement added: “At a time when our world feels so divided, educators carry a special responsibility: to help young people learn how to handle conflict, respect different points of view, and engage in civil discourse, regardless of where one lies on the political spectrum. The post that circulated yesterday falls far short of those expectations. It violates Board policy, and is deeply offensive to the Board of Education. It is never appropriate for any LVUSD employee to justify violence.”
In a later statement provided to The Times, district Supt. Dan Stepenosky provided clarification.
The employee was placed on administrative leave, which is not a disciplinary action, “to allow for an impartial investigation and to protect the safety of students and staff, Stepenosky said. “When the investigation is complete, the Board will take appropriate action.”
In a case such as this, the district would typically consider the teacher’s overall performance evaluations and her right to free speech on her off time on forums not affiliated with the school system, according to senior school district officials and union sources with experience in this area.
In the Orange Unified School District, officials are investigating after a Villa Park High teacher allegedly removed and threw away a student memorial to Kirk from the front of the campus.
Supt. Rachel H. Monárrez confirmed that the memorial had been removed but said personnel rules prevented her from discussing any allegations involving an employee. She confirmed the Orange Unified School District is looking into the incident.
Monárrez added that the school had no advance notice that a memorial would be set up, but “wanted to support children in their grieving process.”
Two of the three Villa Park student organizers agreed to be interviewed but requested anonymity. Both were concerned about online notoriety that could be associated with a politically tinged situation. One student worries about the effect on a possible future athletic scholarship and participation in team sports. The other student is contemplating a career in public service and doesn’t want the incident to come up in a background check.
The idea to assemble a memorial came together quickly, on Sunday night.
A 16-year-old junior said he thought the idea was “really cool … because I feel that I relate to this person. And I wouldn’t even say it’s all political. I say that I relate to him because I’m also a very religious person” especially “within the past year or two.”
On his note, he said, “I wrote thoughts and prayers for the Kirk family.”
“After Charlie’s passing, I felt really bad, and I wanted to host something at the school,” said a 17-year-old senior.
The next morning, before school, three students brought bouquets and notes and added them to an unrelated memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The 9/11 memorial had been set up at an outdoor amphitheater inside the campus.
An administrator suggested that the Kirk memorial be moved to the public sidewalk in front of school, noting that the 9/11 memorial was about to be taken down. The students agreed, in part, they said, because their memorial to Kirk would be more visible out in front.
The school bell rang at 8:30 a.m. and the students were off to class.
But later that morning, around 10 a.m., they received texts that the memorial had been taken down. A parent, they said, took a picture of a woman removing the materials and saw the woman put the materials in her car.
The students provided a photo to The Times that shows a woman at the memorial and her car nearby. The students identified the woman as a teacher and said the teacher did not complete the full day at work.
The district declined to confirm the identity of the individual or whether the teacher had been asked to leave campus. Monárrez said it is common during an investigation to place an employee on paid administrative leave, but she did not say if that had happened as part of the inquiry.
When alerted of the memorial’s removal, administrators tried to find out what happened, including by enlisting the school resource officer.
The materials were found in an off-campus dumpster, said a parent of one of the students and also Alex Tran, a Villa Park High student government leader who graduated in June.
“I believe it is vandalism” and a violation of students’ right to free speech, said Tran, who is about to begin college at UC Davis.
The superintendent confirmed that the memorial artifacts were located “off campus” and then brought back so the memorial could be set up again.
Monárrez said that when an employee does something improper, but without putting children at risk, there is typically “progressive discipline,” which takes into account the seriousness of the offense along with a person’s employment history. If an employee receives a warning letter, for example, that level of discipline would remain confidential. The school board would have to ratify more serious consequences that would affect pay or employment.
“The removal of the memorial was not behavior that was condoned,” Monárrez said. “This is about the behavior. We’re really trying to be a district that gets past these cultural wars and really stays focused on children and educational outcomes for them.”