Several California teachers go on leave after allegedly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder

(FOX40.COM) — Less than a week after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a handful of teachers across California have been put on administrative leave for alleged celebrations of his death.

On Sept. 10, Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA was fatally shot during a speaking engagement

at a Utah university. Since then, some people have mourned while others, including educators, have been accused of celebrating the murder.

In Sacramento, a professor at California State University, Sacramento, made a post on X that seemingly mocked Charlie Kirk’s death. The post was called out by Libs of TikTok, a platform for conservatives, who asked Sac State if it had anything to say about the professor’s post. Shortly after, Sac State responded.

“Our university values and honor code strongly denounce violence of any form, including acts of gun violence, and condemn any endorsement of political violence and loss of life,” Sac State said. “We take reports of our professors violating these values and our honor code seriously and are conducting a review of any allegations.”

Similarly, another teacher within the Pacheco Union School District in Redding was put on administrative leave for an alleged post he made on social media following Kirk’s death.

In Tulare County, at the College of Sequoias, a student recorded a video in class that allegedly shows a staff member saying, “I hope everyone in his (Kirk’s) family dies and their children and their grandchildren and their grandchildren and their grandchildren to eternity.” The college said the teacher was placed on leave.

The firestorm is also spilling into California school board meetings. A meeting in Mariposa County turned into a heated discussion when parents accused a teacher of saying they were happy Charlie Kirk is dead and told MAGA kids to go home and cry. The district said the incident is under investigation.

Although California teachers are free citizens and have the right to exercise their freedom of speech, including on social media, their influence over children makes it controversial.

The president of the Roseville Secondary Education Association, Brandon Dell’Orto, said there’s a clear line in the sand when a teacher is in the classroom. However, online, there’s some gray area. Dell’Orto represents the union for the Roseville Joint Unified School District and also teaches at Granite Bay High School.

“Generally, where it blurs into a problem is when you take that role and are kind of presenting yourself as a teacher,” Dell’Orto said. “That’s where you’re seeing as having influence of your students when it comes to political issues.”

Dell’Orto said there’s a correct way to have political discussions in class and that topics should be balanced.

“They (students) don’t know how American politics work – they haven’t seen it. They haven’t seen it build bipartisanship. They haven’t seen a president like Ronald Reagan be able to go on speeches about the Democrats – and then Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill basically get together and have a drink and enjoy it with each other and still move policy forward for the betterment of everybody,” Dell’Orto said. “They haven’t seen that, and so I think it’s important for all of us as adult teachers and anybody who’s been around for at least 40 years to explain. This is not normal.”

Dell’Orto added, “If you’re going to, as a teacher, say something critical of President Trump, you need to, in the same sentence, follow up with something that Biden has done that causes students to see you’re trying to show both sides. It’s not always easy to do, but that’s sort of best practice within the classroom.”