Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed Monday that more than 100 educators in the state are facing permanent removal from the classroom after publicly celebrating the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week.
The teachers in question are not only losing their current positions but, under state action, will also have their teaching certificates revoked, preventing them from ever returning to the profession in Texas.
Abbott responded on X to reports that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was investigating the matter, underscoring the state’s hardline stance.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath clarified the agency’s position, distinguishing between statements made in poor taste and those that incite or glorify violence. “While all educators are held to a high standard of professionalism, there is a difference between comments made in poor taste and those that call for and incite further violence — the latter of which is clearly unacceptable,” Morath said.
He added, “TEA’s Educator Investigations Division has already begun its review, and I will be recommending to the State Board for Educator Certification that such individuals have their certification suspended and be rendered ineligible to teach in a Texas public school.”
The state’s response reflects growing scrutiny over how educators address political violence online, signaling that celebrations of Kirk’s death will carry serious professional consequences.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott shared reporting by Cameron Abrams and confirmed that at least 100 teachers in the state would face disciplinary action.
“The Texas Education Agency is investigating Texas teachers whose actions called for or incite violence following the Charlie Kirk assassination,” Abbott wrote on X.
“Those educators — more than 100 — will ‘have their teacher certification suspended and be ineligible to teach in a Texas public school.’”
Anyone who witnessed the cold-blooded murder of Charlie Kirk and responded with anything less than horror is unfit to educate America’s youth. Public accountability and professional consequences are the minimum such individuals deserve.
The left has, in recent years, normalized political violence to the point that celebrating the violent death of a public figure has become, disturbingly, acceptable. Texas has acted decisively in response, setting a standard other states should consider following. A nationwide policy could give schools 90 days to identify and remove educators who condone violence — or risk losing federal funding.
American education has long suffered from a declining standard. Students are falling behind academically while many teachers serve as vectors for radical ideologies — including Marxism, progressive gender theories, and other political agendas. These are often the same educators who endorsed prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns, keeping children out of classrooms and further harming academic development.
The bar for professional conduct has become shockingly low: simply refraining from celebrating a violent act is now a basic expectation, yet some fail even that. The tragic assassination of Kirk underscores the consequences of such moral and ethical lapses.
Charlie Kirk, 31, founder of Turning Point USA, dedicated his life to defending freedom, faith, and family, often in the most challenging environments — college campuses where ideological debate can become heated. He was killed while speaking to students, exercising the very liberties he championed.
Honoring his legacy demands action. Schools must ensure that no educator entrusted with shaping young minds ever again promotes or celebrates the kind of violence that ended his life. Removing those who cheered his death is not only just — it is essential to safeguarding both students and the values Kirk fought to defend.
