Teachers reprimanded or fired after comments posted about Charlie Kirk
Rider University adjunct professor Kate Ecke was fired after being called out for what she saw to be a lack of empathy for school shooting victims.
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The debate over social media surrounding the death of Charlie Kirk is leading to serious consequences for some teachers in New Jersey.
Some public school teachers and college professors are being fired from their jobs or reprimanded for social media posts about Kirk.
Rider University adjunct professor Kate Ecke was fired after being called out for what she saw to be a lack of empathy for school shooting victims.
In response, the university president said the comments didn’t reflect expectations for respectful and civil engagement.
Other teacher’s posts on social media are being shared by a group called The New Jersey Project.
Nikki Stouffer says her members are concerned some of those thoughts and beliefs about Charlie Kirk are disagreeable or offensive.
She’s speaking out and shining a light on those teachers so that the comments won’t be passed on in the classroom.
“It’s not appropriate for teachers to say he’s a jerk a homophobe a racist. That’s not right and polite society, and our kids shouldn’t be hearing that from teachers,” said Nikki Stouffer.
However, the ACLU believes this is a targeted campaign and a violation of First Amendment rights.
ACLU New Jersey supervising attorney Liza Weisberg released the following statement:
“A recent campaign to target, harass, and retaliate against teachers for speaking on social media in their personal capacities violates the First Amendment’s core promise.
“We urge all New Jersey school districts to respect the First Amendment rights of their students and staff – both to model the democratic principles taught in our classrooms and to avoid legal liability," Weisberg added.
