The Cobb County School District said Monday an unspecified number of employees have been placed on administrative leave while it investigates allegations that they posted messages on social media “appearing to celebrate the death of Charlie Kirk.”
In a release sent out Monday afternoon, the Cobb school district said the employees on leave “will not be in a classroom or interacting with students or parents while on leave. The District will complete a thorough investigation and will take appropriate personnel action. We will also report the matter to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, the ethics board for Georgia educators, requesting appropriate action against their Georgia teaching license.”
The district didn’t indicate how many employees have been placed on leave, and how many are teachers. Nor did the district detail the social media messages or identify the social media platforms where they were posted.
East Cobb News left a message with the Cobb school district seeking more information, but a district spokeswoman said that “We cannot discuss personnel specifically.”
Kirk, 31, was a conservative political activist who was shot and killed in Utah last Wednesday while speaking at a college event.
His death sparked outrage from many conservatives on social media and elsewhere, including President Donald Trump, whom Kirk supported.
But the assassination also has sparked some who opposed Kirk’s politics to express comments that have prompted more controversy.
Employers are taking action against workers who have been accused of cheering Kirk’s killing. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has suspended some employees with a message from its chief executive officer.
Teachers around the country also are being suspended or dismissed for negative comments about Kirk, a junior college dropout who had strong appeal with many students.
Cobb school district media and communications director Nan Kiel said in the release that the district was informed by parents about the posts, which she said “are incredibly rare instances and do not reflect the outstanding professionalism demonstrated by the vast majority of Cobb educators daily.”
Kiel further stated that more complaints about the posts “have been received from Cobb educators, stating these behaviors are inconsistent with the professional duty educators owe their students and the Cobb community. We could not agree more. Professional educators are expected to exercise sound judgment and professionalism in and outside the classroom. ”
The Cobb school district has a social media policy for employees that also has provisions for what employees are permitted to post on their personal and social media accounts.
Among the provisions, employees are refrained from posting material that “displays inappropriate personal information, videos, or pictures that impair the employee’s professionalism and reputation” and “harms the reputation of or discredits the District.”
In its release Monday, the district said that “posts that celebrate or support the murder of an innocent person by a school shooter are unprofessional and disruptive to the school environment. We expect Cobb educators to help students learn and grow, which requires limiting disruptions to their classrooms and school. ”
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- Cobb school district sells former Eastvalley ES properties
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