The Texas American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced Tuesday that it plans to sue the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for what it called an “unlawful investigation” of school officials following social media posts about the murder of Charlie Kirk.
In September, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said sent a letter to state school leaders announcing he would launch an investigation into school officials who he said had “posted and/or shared objectionable and inappropriate content on social media” related to the death of the founder of Turning Point USA.
“Such posts may violate the Code of Ethics for Educators and each case will be thoroughly reviewed to determine whether it constitutes criminal conduct and staff will investigate accordingly,” Morath wrote. “While the exercise of freedom of expression is a fundamental right that we can all share, it does not provide carte blanche authority to celebrate or incite violence against those who share different beliefs and perspectives.”
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The lawsuit alleges that since the letter was issued, several Texas AFT members have been placed on administrative leave, reprimanded or fired for their social media posts, which the organization says is a violation of the First Amendment.
“Somewhere, somehow, our state’s leaders have lost their way,” said Texas AFT President Zeph Capo said in a statement. “A few well-placed Texas politicians and bureaucrats think it’s good for their careers to trample on educators’ freedom of speech. They decided that scoring a few cheap points was worth the unfair discipline, doxxing, and death threats against Texas teachers. Meanwhile, educators and their families fear they will lose everything: their livelihoods, their reputations, and their purpose for existence, which is to teach critical thinking.”
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National AFT President Randi Weingarten also released a statement condemning the TEA.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, released a statement condemning the Texas Education Agency for the letter. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Unfortunately, unlike their counterparts in Utah, officials in Texas have decided to exploit the tragedy of Mr. Kirk’s senseless murder, rather than de-escalate,” Weingarten said. “Their actions are a transparent attempt to smear and shame educators, divide our communities, and deprive our children of the opportunity to learn and thrive. They are a state-sponsored attack on teachers for what they thought were personal comments to friends and family. And even if we think some of this speech is harmful, defending one’s right to speak is the essence of our democracy.”
She added, “You don’t lose your constitutional rights if you decide to become a teacher; “To have any meaning, the Constitution must work for all Americans, not just some.”
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The AFT is seeking a permanent ban on the TEA’s policies and investigations. The TEA declined to comment to Fox News Digital.
School officials across the country have been fired or reprimanded for wanting to celebrate the murder of Charlie Kirk. (Phil Mass
In the weeks following Kirk’s murder, several public school teachers across the country were reprimanded or fired after going viral with controversial social media posts that appeared to celebrate his death.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott previously announced that more than 100 teachers in the state would have their teaching licenses suspended after investigators found they had incited or encouraged violence following Kirk’s killing.
Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
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