Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun on Wednesday threatened to suspend or revoke teachers’ licenses if they have made “terrible” comments online in the wake of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination.
Braun wrote on social media Wednesday that the Indiana Secretary of Education’s office will review reports of teachers and administrators in the state making comments celebrating or inciting “political violence.” The governor’s comments come amid recent reports of some school board members and teachers across the U.S. celebrating Kirk’s Sept. 10 murderon social media.
“Teachers play a critical role in the shaping of our youth. As a result, we hold them to a higher standard,” Braun wrote in the X post. “The vast majority of Indiana’s educators live up to that standard; but sadly, in recent days a few have not.”
Braun also emphasized that any calls for political violence “are not freedom of speech and should not be tolerated.”
“We don’t always have to agree with each other on all of the issues,” Braun said. “But disagreement should never lead to the type of horrific tragedy we witnessed last week. In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, there have been some terrible things shared, particularly across social media. While we must protect the First Amendment, calls for political violence are not freedom of speech and should not be tolerated.”
“The Secretary of Education has the authority to suspend or revoke a license for misconduct and the office will review reported statements of K-12 teachers and administrators who have made statements to celebrate or incite political violence,” the governor added.
The Indiana secretary of education is able to suspend or revoke teachers’ licenses for immorality, misconduct in office, incompetency or willful neglect of duty, according to Indiana Code.
Republican Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and Republican Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith have both been soliciting reports of teachers and other employees in the Hoosier State who “celebrate or rationalize” Kirk’s assassination, the Indianapolis Star reported.
Additionally, Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. said in a Wednesday statement posted to X that they had fired a staff member, Suzanne Swierc, after she made a social media post about Kirk’s assassination that was “inconsistent with the distinctive nature and trust” of her leadership position.
The Indiana Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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