Kathryn Cichocki, an English teacher at Valparaiso High School in Valparaiso, Indiana, has resigned after suggesting on social media that the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was a good thing.
After the news broke that Kirk had been assassinated, Cichocki shared an image of actress Bette Davis that included a quote, which read, “One should only say good things about the dead … He’s dead. Good,” according to a report by the Times of Northwest Indiana.
Last week, the teacher’s social media post was then posted to X, where it went viral.
“Valparaiso Community Schools is aware of an objectionable post regarding the death of a public figure on the personal social media account belonging to an employee,” the school district said last week, in a statement posted to its Facebook account.
“The post was made on the employee’s personal account during her personal time and does not reflect the values or mission of our district,” Valparaiso Community Schools continued.
“As a public school district, we are committed to fostering a respectful and supportive learning environment for all our students, staff, and community members,” the school district added. “While employees have the right to express personal opinions as private citizens, the school district also holds them to high professional standards.”
“Freedom of expression is not Freedom from consequences. I would not want a teacher who takes joy in the death of another having any place of authority over my child or any other. Who knows what is done or said behind closed doors,” read the top-liked comment on the school district’s post.
On Wednesday, more than 50 people reportedly attended a school board meeting, where Valparaiso Community Schools Superintendent Jim McCall announced that Cichocki had resigned.
During the meeting, residents mainly spoke about Cichocki’s Facebook post and debated whether or not she should have been removed from the school, the Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
One resident, James Manago, argued that while he thinks it is “terrible” Kirk was assassinated, “It’s still free speech, and you can’t deprive someone of their First Amendment rights just because they chose public service.”
“Yes, you can have free speech,” another Valparaiso resident, Andrew Karr, said, adding, “That doesn’t mean you can say simply anything you want without consequence.”
School board President Erika Watkins said, “I want to caution all of us in the hopes that we will really begin to listen to one another regardless of our faith — political affiliations — the color of our skin — so that we will begin to see each other for who we really are.”
Kirk, who is now a martyr for free speech, was assassinated on September 10, while trying to have an open and respectful dialogue with students at Utah Valley University.
Educators across the U.S. reacted to the horrific murder by issuing ghoulish social media posts celebrating the assassination, simply because he held political views that differ from their own.
For millions of people around the world, this served as a major mask-off and watershed moment, in which the public has been able to see firsthand the shocking depravity and degradation of society.
Parents, community members, and Americans across the U.S. have reacted to assassination-celebrating educators by contacting schools to demand they fire the teachers, arguing that such educators have no business educating kids if they believe someone should be murdered for having a different opinion.
Ironically, the examples from teachers celebrating Kirk’s assassination have highlighted the very issue the Turning Point USA founder spent years exposing — the left-wing extremism that students are exposed to at all levels of the American education system.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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