Too far? Or are nearly 200 Texas educators merely suffering the consequences of their own actions?
Greg Abbott wants to ensure that those consequences really stick. Not only does he want punitive action against educators who “endorsed” Charlie Kirk’s assassination and/or more violence, he wants to make sure they don’t work in education in Texas. Ever.
The eyes of Texas are upon the teachers’ social media:
🚨 BREAKING: Over 100 TEACHERS in Texas will now have their teacher certification suspended and become ineligible to teach in Texas public schools after they endorsed Charlie Kirk’s assassination or incited more violence, Governor Greg Abbott announces.
They’re all FINDING OUT.… pic.twitter.com/FSTgIbe9VZ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 15, 2025
That number was from Monday. By late yesterday, it had grown to 180, and may still be growing as reports come in from angry social-media followers. The Texas Education Agency licenses educators in the state and has the power to suspend or revoke those licenses, which would effectively strip them of their jobs and any ability to replace them in the state. And the TEA sounds as though they seriously want to make examples of those who cross the line:
The TEA announced the investigation in a statement from Commissioner Mike Morath. The statement was also shared on social media by Gov. Greg Abbott. In the statement, Morath said he will refer all documentation of educators who proliferated such “vile content” to the TEA’s educator investigations division, as the posts may violate the educators’ code of ethics.
A TEA spokesperson said as of Monday morning the agency had received “approximately 180 complaints” that were in the “complaint review stage.” …
“While the exercise of free speech is a fundamental right we are all blessed to share, it does not give carte blanche authority to celebrate or sow violence against those that share differing beliefs and perspectives,” Morath said in the statement.
The Texas AFT chapter went ballistic this weekend when the TEA began reviewing social-media posts, calling it “authoritarian”:
In a statement Saturday, the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers condemned a “political witch hunt” against teachers who disagreed with Kirk’s politics.
“These ‘investigations’ into teachers exercising their First Amendment rights outside their official duties silence dissent and encourage the purging of civil servants — both key tenets of the authoritarian playbook,” the statement read. “We urge ISDs, colleges, and public universities to review the section on crumbling independent institutions as they consider how to move forward.”
Ahem. When it comes to imposing authoritarianism, street violence and assassinations usually play a far larger role than “purging of civil servants.” Just sayin’.
If the AFT hopes to get support from independent school districts (ISDs) in Texas, it’s off to a bad start. One Baylor student working as a student teacher at nearby Midway ISD got kicked out of his internship and (apparently) the education program for posting that Kirk’s murder “makes me giggle.” The ISD and Baylor acted within hours of the assassination:
A Baylor University graduate student assigned to Midway Middle School as an intern made “highly inappropriate posts and comments” on social media following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, said Midway Middle School Principal Kayla Brown.
Brown said the individual who made the posts is not a Midway ISD employee, rather, a student-teacher intern. He will no longer be student-teaching with Midway ISD. … The individual reportedly wrote “this makes me giggle” in regards to the assassination. …
“We are aware and greatly disappointed by a social media comment from a Baylor graduate student regarding the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk,” Baylor University wrote in a social media post.
“To make light of the death of a fellow human being is completely inappropriate and completely counter to Baylor’s Christian mission. Baylor strives to be a community in which every individual is treated with respect – in life and in death.”
The university’s social media post further states the student “does not represent Baylor University in any capacity.”
The universities in Texas seem disinterested in lining up with AFT on this point too, and not just with teachers. One student who disrupted a prayer event for Kirk at Texas State went viral on video for mocking Kirk’s assassination. It didn’t take long for his career as a student to come to a screeching halt:
A Texas State University student seen mocking the death of Charlie Kirk at a Monday vigil is no longer enrolled, university officials said in a Tuesday statement.
In a video posted to social media, a young man can be seen imitating Kirk being shot in the neck and appears to spit on the ground near where students had set up signs and American flags. The person can also be seen in the video saying “f— that” “N-word” after someone confronts him over his behavior.
The university said in a statement that they identified the man as a student and that he is no longer enrolled at the university.
That’s too bad, in a way. There may have been no clearer demonstrated need for an education than this young man’s grotesque display. He clearly needs a moral education, anyway, and one has to suspect that the public education system contributed mightily to his morally stunted status quo.
Let’s get back to the question I asked to start this discussion. Is this just FAFO for freaks, or a case of the passions of the moment overcoming us? It depends on how the TEA handles these cases and the extent of the violation. Texas State definitely took appropriate action, for instance; that young man didn’t just post on his TikTok, but went out of his way to mock and disrupt a peaceful gathering in a particularly cruel manner.
Was the violation at Midway ISD really a terminating offense, assuming that the quoted social-media post was the extent of it? Maybe, particularly because this was an internship and not really an employment situation, but what if it had been a teacher who’d posted that — without saying anything in class or on school grounds? Again maybe, but there’s a lot of gray area there in terms of personal and professional conduct. If this were a situation of private-sector employment, then this wouldn’t even be a concern, but public schools are a government function, and that complicates matters when it comes to free speech.
Having the TEA conduct these reviews is the right step for now. It sends a very clear signal that the state of Texas expects a high degree of discipline in public conduct from educators. If the TEA judiciously reserves disciplinary action for the worst offenders, then perhaps this will be a hygienic process, but it’s worth watching to ensure it doesn’t turn into a political witch hunt. And finally, perhaps this will awaken Texans to the radicals teaching their children and incentivize school choice and other competitive reforms to sideline the extremists and return to education rather than indoctrination.
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