A Peabody high school teacher who was suspended for comments about Charlie Kirk, the far-right activist killed in Utah earlier this month, “will not be returning” to the classroom, according to officials and published reports.
The superintendent of the Peabody school system, Josh Vadala, said in a statement that officials had placed two teachers at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School on leave earlier this month for “potential violations of district policies and procedures.”
Vadala did not say what those possible violations were, but Peabody officials had said previously that two teachers had been placed on leave for reasons “including but not limited to inappropriate social media posts following the death of Charlie Kirk,” Boston.com reported.
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On Thursday, Vadala said the investigation into one teacher remains active.
“The other teacher will not be returning to their position,” Vadala said, without indicating whether that instructor resigned or was fired. “We are currently in the process of identifying a qualified, full-time replacement. Teachers have been assigned to both classrooms to ensure high-level instruction continues uninterrupted. As these matters involve personnel, the district will have no further comment.”
Vadala did not name either educator in his statement or provide any details about their social media use. He did not respond to a follow-up inquiry after sending the statement.
The state chapter of American Federation of Teachers, which includes the Peabody teacher’s union, said the situation was “regrettable” when reached for comment.
“It is regrettable that the Peabody School District chose to disrupt their students’ education over allegations with no bearing on its schools or its learning environment,” the union said. “Educators are allowed to have opinions on public concerns, just like everyone else. Instead of protecting that right, Peabody and other school districts have created conditions where educators and their family members are facing harassment and threats, even as many accusations have proven to be unfounded.”
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The union said it’ll “continue to protect the right to free speech for all educators and make sure anyone facing harassment or retaliation has their right to due process upheld.”
Teachers across the country, including in Massachusetts, and other professionals have faced suspensions over social media comments about the slaying of Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at a college campus in Utah.
The furor has also extended into the entertainment world, with late night-host Jimmy Kimmel returning to his slot on Tuesday following a brief suspension over his own Kirk comments.
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.