In the wake of the shooting death of conservative speaker Charlie Kirk, Williamsburg-James City County school officials stressed the need for civility and respect in navigating disagreements, with one school board member saying there was no place in schools for staff who might stretch those bounds.
But the former president of the local teacher’s union warned against over-reacting, saying public employees have a First Amendment right to express private opinions on their own social media accounts, on their own time.
The comments came at Tuesday’s school board meeting after a series of controversial comments about Kirk’s death posted by school employees in Newport News and in Accomack, Orange and Chesterfield counties. There have been no reports of similar actions by WJCC staff.
Those incidents led to a public condemnation by Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson, who released a statement saying “anyone who would suggest the heinous murder of the father of two …