COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Two employees of the Hallsville School District have been placed on paid administrative leave following public pushback over social media posts about political commentator Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, a divisive figure who was the founder of Turning Point USA – a group aimed at promoting conservative viewpoints — was shot and killed during an event last Wednesday at a college campus in Utah. Events were held around Mid-Missouri in the past week for Kirk, including in Boonville and on the University of Missouri’s campus, where Kirk was expected to appear later this month.
The school district wrote in a letter to parents that the employees were on leave pending the outcome of a review.
“We want to clarify that social media posts made by employees of the school district in their personal capacities and outside of their school duties do not reflect the opinions of the District or the Board of Education, nor are they endorsed in any way by the District. As a public school district, we recognize that our role is to create a learning environment where all students feel safe and valued,” the letter says.
Public discourse around Kirk’s shooting has ramped up, mostly around Kirk’s statements. National reports say several people have been targeted by an anonymous doxing website, which has led to some being fired from their jobs.
Comments and reactions around the two Hallsville School District employees emerged on social media after multiple posts were shared by “The Real Columbia Missouri,” a popular Facebook page and website where users frequently engage in political discussions.
State Rep. John Martin (R-Columbia) had commented about the situation on his social media page, demanding that the employees be fired.
“To extend no empathy means you don’t care about someone’s pain, utter disregard, blaming, ridiculing or dismissing someone’s struggles or tragic situations. So, when these two teachers say they do not care that a person was assassinated in our country, they are promoting violence against people with whom you disagree,” Martin wrote on Facebook.
Kirk, a prominent figure in the modern conservative movement, had previously called empathy a “made-up, New Age term.”
Screenshots shared around social media of the Hallsville employees had included both employees sharing the same post that called Kirk a white nationalist while calling for an end to gun violence.
“May all of our children grow up to live in a country that values their lives enough to take gun violence seriously and reject any person who would try to justify senseless gun-related deaths – especially the deaths of children,” the post shared by the employees says.
The quoted post was shared from a social media page called “So Informed,” and screenshots do not show the employees giving additional comments.
The school district wrote in its letter that the employees had “voluntarily removed the posts.”