Williamson County Schools Joins Other Tennessee Institutions Disciplining Staff for Social Media Comments on Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
Williamson County Schools (WCS) confirmed that an employee has been suspended pending investigation, after district leaders were alerted to a social media post made over the weekend about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
District officials said the action follows state law and standard procedure, emphasizing that expressions that glorify or trivialize violence are “inappropriate and unacceptable” and do not reflect the district’s values. Superintendent Jason Golden addressed staff in an email, urging professionalism and compassion during a time of national tragedy.
“During this emotionally heightened time, I want to remind you of what we teach our students: words matter. As you navigate through the remainder of the weekend and into next week, I ask you to pause before hitting "send" on an email or make a social media post regarding recent events. Please recognize that this is a painful time for so many people, and professional teachers need to lead the way in empathy, compassion and decency in how we communicate. Think about how your word choice might affect others in this difficult national time, and as always, treat others how you would like to be treated,” wrote Golden.
Public and Lawmakers React to Comments
The employee’s comments brought criticism from elected officials and from one attendee at Monday’s school board meeting. Brittany Ruiz correlated the incident to the district’s “DEI ideology.”
“I am concerned that DEI ideology and its implications are still not being taken seriously. The assassination of Charlie Kirk by a young adult who was radicalized by a high school and college, and to see a Franklin high school teacher applauding his death be suspended confirms by concerns, yet again that Williamson County Schools needs to get back to being 100 percent nonpartisan education school district,” said Ruiz.
Senator Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, also spoke out on the comments.
In a post on the social media platform X, Johnson called for the termination of the employee.
“My position has not changed. This person should be fired,” wrote Johnson.
Higher Education Staff Disciplined for Comments
The discipline of a Williamson County Schools employee follows similar action at multiple institutions of higher education in Tennessee since Kirk’s murder
University of Tennessee, Knoxville leaders released a statement Tuesday outlining the termination steps they’re taking after placing a faculty member on leave.
“Teaching and shaping the lives of young people is core to the mission of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville,” wrote university leaders. “We have a great responsibility as educators of America’s future leaders to make sure students have a healthy educational environment in which to learn, wrestle with difficult issues, and express themselves civilly. We take that responsibility seriously.”
Middle Tennessee State University fired an employee last week following comments made on social media about Kirk’s assassination.
