The Massachusetts Teachers Association is calling on local school districts and public colleges and universities across the state to partner with unions in defending educators from harassment and to protect their rights after the recent death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The call to action from the state’s largest teachers union comes as Massachusetts districts have suspended at least five educators for social media posts about Kirk’s death that were deemed offensive.
MTA President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy issued a joint statement saying that educators have faced abuse, including death threats, and that districts have an obligation to keep everyone safe.
“The ongoing campaign by extreme-right conservatives to discredit and defund public education has grotesquely exploited the shooting death of Charlie Kirk to launch attacks against people commenting on this public figure’s beliefs and statements,” Page and McCarthy said in the statement.
Page and McCarthy are vowing to ensure that union members are treated fairly while also urging school officials to “not take actions that validate accusations made by extremists.”
American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts President Jessica Tang said the First Amendment applies to everyone and that it is alarming to see people being penalized for privately speaking on a matter of public concern.
“Instead of having serious conversations about the gun violence epidemic that has gripped our nation and our schools, we’re having to address bullying and harassment — both of which have no place in the classroom or in our democracy,” Tang said in a statement.
Disagreement over the appropriateness of posting sharp criticism of Kirk on personal social media accounts has played out publicly in several districts.
A school nurse in Ipswich was placed on leave last week, as first reported in the Local News, apparently over a Facebook post about the political violence against Kirk.
Superintendent Brian Blake sent an email to Ipswich public school families and staff on Saturday, Sept. 13, to share that a staff member had been placed on leave without naming the individual or the allegations against them.
“The District has been made aware of staff conduct that may be in conflict with its core values and has placed the staff on leave pending further review,” Blake wrote. “As a district, we promote and emphasize the resolution of differences in a peaceful and civic manner.”
GBH News has been unable to corroborate the social media posts attributed to the staffer, and Blake’s office didn’t respond to inquiries.
As of Wednesday afternoon, about 600 people had signed an online petition urging the school district to reconsider the suspension.
Local parents who spoke with GBH News said they didn’t necessarily condone the words attributed to the staffer, but they defended the right to say them.
“I do believe in freedom of speech, and to me, like a social media post that he put somewhere that kids can’t see that has nothing to do with the school, that wasn’t threatening anyway, is not grounds to just sort of vaguely put someone on leave and not tell parents what’s going on,” said Christina Elder, the parent of first grader.
