A Florida high school teacher who was forced to take down a poster of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk he placed in his classroom is pushing back.
William Loggans, who teaches comprehensive law honors and economics at Horizon High School in Orange County, told Fox News he felt singled out by the action, the outlet reported Saturday.
“There’s plenty of other posters and flags and stuff in teachers’ classrooms in the same school and on their doors that should also be considered controversial or political. But I just feel like I’m being targeted because this is a conservative figure,” he explained.
The poster in question features a quote by Kirk, who was violently assassinated during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
The quote reads, “Never underestimate the power of your voice and the impact you can have on the world when you speak up for what you believe in.”
A student complained about the poster in Loggans’ classroom and Orange County School District authorities had him take it down.
Loggans told WESH the school district authorities “admitted that the poster didn’t say anything controversial and was inspirational, but that Charlie Kirk was a controversial political figure and that it would have to come down.”
The teacher said his classroom also features posters of historical figures including Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Ronald Reagan.
Loggans has filed a grievance against the school and is alleging “viewpoint discrimination.” His attorney, Anthony Sabatini, said what is being done to the teacher is not right.
School leadership said the decision does not conflict with a memo from the Florida commissioner of education about online posts by school employees after Kirk’s murder, per the Fox article:
“An educator’s personal views that are made public may undermine the trust of the students and families they serve. If an educator’s conduct causes a student or his or her family to feel unwelcome or unwilling to participate in the learning environment, it may be a violation of Rule 6A-10.081, F.A.C,” Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas wrote in a letter.
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However, in the social media post announcing the letter, Kamoutsas claimed it was directed at teachers making “disgusting comments about the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk” and vowed to investigate them.
Kirk’s assassination shocked the world and millions of people are mourning his loss. However, some leftists celebrated it.
A South Carolina high school teacher lost his job after saying that “America became greater” when Kirk was killed, and a drag queen teacher in Idaho resigned after celebrating his death, per Breitbart News.
During an appearance in September on The Alex Marlow Show, Mike Benz, the Executive Director at the Foundation for Freedom Online, said teachers and professors were the main demographic celebrating Kirk’s assassination.
“And that, right there is a roadmap to the purse strings for funding,” he added.
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