Local School Employees Suspended For Kirk Assassination Reaction
Where Do We Draw The Line Between Free Speech And Consequences?
Yesterday, conservative pundit, activist, and influencer Charlie Kirk was murdered at an event in Utah. Shot in the neck via a rifle from long range, Kirk’s death quickly spread across the internet, drawing reactions from millions.
Here in Clay County, one teacher’s reaction is drawing negative attention. Kelly Brock-Sanchez is listed as a teacher at Ridgeview Elementary School, and boy, did she have an opinion on Kirk’s death.
Kelly, who changed her profile to the fake last name “SteelMagnolia”, appears to imply she’s happy about the murder. The post left many to wonder whose death was the one she was really hoping for. Her previous social media posts may shed some light on that fact, as she recently took a trip to Mar-a-Lago, President Trump’s private club and golf course in South Florida. Warning: the video contains explicit language.
Hating Trump is one thing; driving all the way to South Florida just to shout obscenities at a venue he owns is another level of vitriol. Although the teacher changed her name and made her posts private, they still made their way across the internet, gathering attention in local Facebook groups and on X.
Scott Preseler, a known Republican election strategist with 2.3 million followers, picked up the story and tagged Governor Ron DeSantis in a post:
Here locally, the majority of comments on posts about Sanchez condemned her, and many called for her to be fired. But a few came to her defense, pointing out that even unpopular and stupid opinions are still considered free speech.
The furor over Sanchez led to the discovery of another school district employee expressing a similar opinion on Charlie Kirk’s murder. Susan Horn, a guidance counselor at Clay High School, posted this to her Facebook page:
While Horn’s post was less vitriolic than Sanchez’s, it still implies a callous outlook toward Kirk’s murder. Like Sanchez, people began to call for Horn to be fired.
Eventually, the uproar led to Sanchez and possibly Horn being suspended pending an investigation. Clay Resident and State Senator Jennifer Bradley contacted the School District and confirmed action was being taken.
It’s hard to say what actions will be taken by the school district, given the fact that there is tension between exercising freedom of speech and facing consequences for speech that most people might find objectionable.
In a recent survey, 72% of the respondents stated they believe political violence to be unacceptable. Only 11% believe it was sometimes acceptable.
Given public sentiment, it would be reasonable to assume that any employer might not want to have people openly advocating for political assassinations on their payroll. It’s also reasonable for parents to have concerns about their children being taught by people who are ok with killing over political differences.
Sanchez’s undoing may come from the fact that she is a repeat offender on social media. A quick search on Facebook turns up a long list of politically pointed posts that could be construed as unwise at best.
Parents and children who are conservatives or Trump supporters might naturally wonder if Sanchez might let her political opinions cloud the way she interacts with them.
Clay County School Superintendent responded to an email he received and stated that Sanchez’s views are not condoned by the school district. He went on to state that Human Resources was involved and would take “appropriate action.”
In the day and age of social media, people feel compelled to voice every opinion and speak out immediately about every prominent event. But sometimes it’s best to keep opinions in the real world and off the internet. These School District employees might learn that lesson the hard way.
Broward county and the nearby area (Fort Lauderdale, etc.) just this year has seen a decrease of 18,000 kids in public schools. Parents pulling them out. The area is looking at closing some schools for the whole year with the ongoing decline in enrollment. Same happening here. NO TO MORE MONEY (OUR TAXES) TO THE CCSB. These teachers are proof of why people are mad.
It seems a majority (used to be a moniority) of public school teachers have mental health issues. This is more proof. This is why so many parents have pulled their kids out of public schools. More will after these comments.