Four School District of Osceola County employees who may have made inappropriate remarks regarding last week’s shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk are reportedly under investigation, a district spokesperson said this week.
In the same social media space as the alleged comments, Students for Trump National Chair Ryan Fournier has been sharing comments made that he’s discovered, or his followers have passed on to him, including one by a Celebration K-8 school teacher on Friday.
Sunday, the school addressed the situation on its Facebook page, noting, “We are aware of a post that is circulating from one of our teachers and it is under investigation.”
Across the country, teachers and other professionals have faced disciplinary charges or been fired over social media posts in the wake of Kirk’s death on Sept. 10.
“This is not cancel culture,” Fournier posted on his X account. “This is consequence culture. This is not an attack on the First Amendment. You want to praise an assassination? Fine. But don’t cry when your boss, your school board, or your community finds out what kind of sick, soulless person you really are.”
This comes in the wake of a letter Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas sent to state school districts noting that teachers should be held to a higher standard as public servants.
“Some Florida educators have posted despicable comments on social media (regarding Kirk’s death). These few are not a reflection on the great, high-quality teachers who make up the vast majority of Florida’s educators,” he wrote in the letter. “Nevertheless, I will be conducting an investigation of every educator who engages in this vile, sanctionable behavior.”
He noted that, based on state statutes and administrative codes, “The Commissioner may find probable cause to sanction an educator’s certificate.”
“Together, we must uphold the highest standards of professionalism and keep Florida’s classrooms places of safety and academic achievement.”
Janet Moody, head of the Osceola County Educator’s Association, confirmed none of the four being investigated are union members.
“If a member were to be investigated, we would provide them with representation that would be fair and unbiased and afford them due process,” she said.
