Texas AFT sues over Charlie Kirk social media investigations
The Texas Tribune••nation
Key Points:
- The Texas American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit seeking to block Education Commissioner Mike Morath and the Texas Education Agency from investigating teachers over social media remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, arguing that such investigations violate legally protected speech.
- The lawsuit claims Morath’s directive to report “inappropriate content” related to Kirk’s death is vague, overly broad, and has led to inconsistent enforcement, targeting only critics of Kirk while ignoring similar cases involving other political figures.
- The Texas Education Agency has dismissed most complaints but continues to investigate 95 cases; Morath and Gov. Greg Abbott have emphasized disciplinary action against educators who incite violence, though no educators have yet been disciplined by the agency.
- Legal experts note that disciplining teachers for personal
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