TEA addresses educator social media posts on Charlie Kirk’s death

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released a letter addressing social media content from some public school educators related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

The agency states that these posts do no reflect the vast majority of Texas teachers who work with millions of students.

TEA says it will refer documentation of misconduct to its Educator Investigations Division for review.

The letter says these posts could violate the Educators' Code of Ethics and will be examined for sanctionable conduct.

The letter adds that while free speech is a right, it does not "give carte blanche authority to celebrate or sow violence against those that share differing beliefs and perspectives."

The statement from the TEA urges educators to report additional instances through TEA's Misconduct Reporting Portal.

Texas AFT responded by condemning the online harassment campaigns aimed at Texas educators and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting teachers’ professional integrity.

In their statement, the union emphasized that teachers’ professional conduct must be judged by state ethics standards, not by partisan online campaigns.

Texas AFT says administrators need to uphold due-process protections while evaluating any educator conduct tied to social media posts.

Texas State Board of Education Member Gustavo Reveles also issues a statement on social media today in response to the TEA.

Reveles wrote on social media, in part, "I urge the Commissioner to redirect the Texas Education Agency's energy and resources towards addressing the large backlog of open investigations into educator misconduct that already existed, rather than threatening the certification of teachers for expressing their views in a private setting."

KVIA reached out to the Texas Education Agency for a response but has not yet heard back.