RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Department of Education is condemning social media comments from public school personnel following the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk last week.
In a statement released Saturday, the department said:
“There are multiple reports of deeply troubling publicly posted comments on social media about the assassination of Charlie Kirk made by Virginia school personnel. Celebrating or condoning political violence is unacceptable and has absolutely no place in Virginia’s public schools.
Parents entrust our educators with the care and development of their children, and they rightly expect teachers and school leaders to model the values of respect, civility, and responsibility. Anyone who would suggest the heinous murder of the father of two young children is acceptable should be disqualified from teaching or working with children again.
Local school divisions should promptly investigate these reports in accordance with their policies and local Standards of Professional Conduct and Ethics and refer teachers and administrators who have violated these essential standards of decency to the Virginia Board of Education for licensure revocation. The Department stands ready to support superintendents and will be evaluating options with the Board of Education for state action for those local school divisions that do not hold their personnel responsible.
Any suggestion that this assassination can be justified violates the most basic principles of human dignity. Together, we all must work to ensure that our schools remain places where every student is safe to learn and that families can trust the system.”
The department added that local school divisions should be investigating violations and referring any substantiated cases to the state Board of Education for possible license revocation. Officials said several incidents have already been reported in Virginia, including two in Hampton Roads.
The Virginia Education Association also issued a statement Saturday, reminding its members to exercise caution online:
“Following the murder of Charlie Kirk earlier this week, our educational community is processing this loss alongside the broader national conversation. During times of heightened emotions and public attention, we want to remind our members about thoughtful social media practices, particularly as we are getting reports of groups actively searching for critical posts from educators.
VEA remains committed to supporting educators in navigating complex social and political moments while maintaining professional standards. We will be sharing additional resources and guidance in the coming days to help our local affiliates and members to help foster respectful discourse in their communities.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy as we work together to promote healing and understanding.”
Several incidents have already been reported in Virginia, including two in Hampton Roads.
In Accomack County, the school division sent a letter to families and staff saying leaders are aware of a staff member’s personal social media post related to the violence in Utah. School district officials said the post, which has circulated online, has upset some in the community.
The division said the situation is being addressed with the staffer in accordance with policy. News 3 has asked Accomack school leaders for a copy of their policy on staff social media use but has not yet received a response.
In Newport News, school leaders confirmed one staff member is on administrative leave following a social media post about the Utah shooting. The Department of Human Resources is investigating and will recommend any potential disciplinary action.
The division also provided its social media policy, which states that examples of violations can include harming the reputation of the division, creating a hostile or disruptive work environment, and interfering with an employee’s roles and responsibilities.
