Split reaction to discipline of Cobb teachers for Charlie Kirk posts

Georgia educators on leave after Charlie Kirk comments

Cobb County Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale confirmed Thursday that fewer than 15 employees were placed on administrative leave and two are no longer with the district. He said parents and other teachers alerted school officials to the posts.

MARIETTA, Ga. - Several Cobb County educators are off the job after school officials say they posted social media comments celebrating the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Cobb County educators face disciplinary actions

What we know:

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale confirmed Thursday that fewer than 15 employees were placed on administrative leave and two are no longer with the district. He said parents and other teachers alerted school officials to the posts.

SEE ALSO: Emory University School of Medicine faculty member fired for social media post

"We can really have no room for employees of a school district to be here who are seen as condoning supporting, cheering for a school shooter and the murder of an innocent man on the school campus," Ragsdale said.

Ragsdale added the posts disrupted the district and left some parents questioning their children’s safety. He stressed the decision was not political.

What they're saying:

At Thursday night’s school board meeting, reactions were divided. Parent Michael Garza said the district went too far. "We should be trying to bring our community together and we're not doing that when we're publicly chastising our teachers," he said.

The other side:

Cobb County Association of Educators president Jeff Hubbard, who attended the meeting and later spoke with FOX 5, said the matter is not about free speech but about rules educators must follow.

"Since we're public sector employees in Georgia, we not only have the Georgia Professional Standards Commission rules for educators, but in Cobb County, we also have a specific administrative rule policy in regards to what we can and cannot do," Hubbard said.

Backlash from Charlie Kirk assassination comments

Big picture view:

The backlash is not limited to Cobb County. Educators in Massachusetts, Florida, South Carolina and Pennsylvania are also facing suspension or investigation after posting comments about Kirk’s death. Other workers have been disciplined too.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta terminated an employee after discovering a social media post containing expletives. 

Delta Air Lines suspended several employees for their posts about Kirk. 

Additionally, an Emory University School of Medicine faculty member was also terminated.

Nationally, many other individuals have been suspended or terminated from their places of employment, and ABC talk show Jimmy Kimmel's show has been taken off the air indefinitely.

RELATED: FCC Chair Brendan Carr defends ABC affiliates pulling Jimmy Kimmel show

East Tennessee State University is in the process of firing 1 of 2 tenured professors who were placed on leave over social media posts they made about Charlie Kirk, according to WJHL. The other professor chose to step away from his position. 

Vice President JD Vance, who filled in for Kirk on "The Charlie Kirk Show" earlier this week," said that he was disturbed by the number of people online who were seen justifying or even celebrating Kirk's murder. Vance told viewers to call out and inform employers of people who openly celebrate political assassination to foster a more civil society.

RELATED: JD Vance declares there is 'no unity' with people who celebrate Charlie Kirk's assassination

What we don't know:

The names of the teachers were not immediately known.

What's next:

District officials said disciplinary action will be handled individually. Some employees may face only a warning, while others could be fired and risk losing their teaching certificates.