Mass. teacher placed on leave over comments about Charlie Kirk’s death

HOLDEN, Mass. — A Massachusetts school teacher has been placed on administrative leave over her “inappropriate” comments on the killing of Charlie Kirk, police and school officials announced Thursday.

A staff member at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden took to social media to share thoughts on the assassination of Kirk, a conservative political activist who was shot by a sniper while speaking at a Utah college campus on Wednesday, according to the Holden Police Department.

In the wake of the comments, police officers were assigned to patrol the high school campus overnight and throughout Thursday out of an abundance of caution.

“These comments sparked heated debate, millions of views, and brought into question the safety of school operations for both students and staff at WRHS,” the department said in a statement.

Police and school officials didn’t reveal what the teacher’s post stated, but screenshots floating around on social media showed the words, “Just a reminder, we’re NOT offering sympathy.”

While investigators uncovered no credible threat, Wachusett Regional School District Superintendent James Reilly and School Committee Chair Lauren Salmon-Garrett announced the teacher will remain on leave “for the foreseeable future and is not allowed on school property” while an investigation is conducted.

“As many are aware, a teacher has been accused of making inappropriate comments in response to this event on her own personal social media page,” Reilly and Salmon-Garrett wrote in a letter to the school community. “Please know that Wachusett Regional School District condemns violence in all forms. Political violence, especially, has no place in our country, and it directly contradicts our nation’s founding principles.”

Reilly and Salmon-Garrett also noted that support is being made available for students and staff who need it.

“We urge the entire school community to continue to condemn these brutal acts of violence our country has experienced,” Reilly and Salmon-Garrett added.

The teacher in question hasn’t been identified.

Authorities on Thursday released images of a person of interest in the killing of Kirk and offered a $100,000 reward for information that leads to an identification and arrest.

Kirk’s death remains under investigation.

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