The number of public school employees who celebrated the political assassination of Christian and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has reached such a high level that teachers’ unions are now tracking Kirk’s supporters and preparing to coordinate the legal defense for teachers whose jobs are now in jeopardy.
An internal union email obtained by the Maine Wire shows the National Education Association (NEA) has told its members that it’s monitoring supporters of the slain conservative activist and is preparing legal and communications defenses for school teachers who publicly celebrated his assassination.
The email, sent by the head of the NEA’s Portland Education Association (PEA), warns educators to “choose their words with care” online and notes that the NEA is “continuing to track extremists” who are cataloguing social media posts about Kirk’s killing.
“NEA is continuing to track extremists who have created websites urging people to scour social media for comments about the tragedy to which they object and amplify them in the right-wing media to launch attacks against the posters,” wrote PEA President Kerrie Dowdy.
“In some cases, this has resulted in individual educators already being removed from their positions due to their social media postings,” Dowdy said.
Asked about the email outlining a plan to track Kirk’s supporters and defend teachers who celebrated his assassination, Dowdy said that it was “absolutely not true” that her email included a plan to track Kirk’s supporters and defend teachers who celebrated the assassination.
The communications portray a union bracing for fallout after Kirk, 31, a Christian conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, was gunned down earlier this month. His death drew tributes from Republicans nationwide, while some educators and public employees drew criticism for mocking or celebrating the killing online.
In Lincoln, for example, students walked out of classes, and angry parents voiced concerns to the school board over two public school employees who made celebratory posts online.
According to Dowdy’s email, the union believes right-wing activists are using those posts to pressure school districts into firing teachers, rather than it being the case that parents don’t want their kids in school with people who cheer murder.
The email also indicates that the national teachers’ union is marshaling resources to defend the continued employment of teaches who celebrated the assassination. It urged members who fear they may be targeted to immediately notify their union representatives and seek legal support.
The NEA guidance frames the reaction as part of a wider campaign.
“There is an aggressive effort underway to target individuals based on their speech and call for their termination,” one email reads.
One Maine school employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said the NEA/PEA communication raises deep concerns about both free speech and the proper use of union dues.
“Educators pay dues with the expectation that funds will go toward improving working conditions, supporting teachers, and helping students—not for political surveillance operations,” the school employee said.
“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident,” the source said. “Just weeks ago, ICE made an arrest on the service road near [a Portland public school]. The man arrested had been taken into custody the day prior by Portland Police for domestic abuse. Despite this, the MEA sent out emails urging members to ‘support the family’ of the accused and even donated money—using union dues—to assist them. It is deeply troubling that the union would dedicate resources to support someone arrested for violent criminal activity, rather than standing firmly for the safety of families and victims.”
The documents do not specify whether the teachers unions have hired an outside firm or contractor to assist the NEA in tracking online activity.
Dowdy did not respond to a follow-up email asking why she denied having written the email that she wrote.
