One of Texas’ largest teacher unions wants a federal court to block Education Commissioner Mike Morath and the state education agency from investigating teachers accused of making inappropriate remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination on social media, saying the act violates legally protected speech.
A lawsuit the Texas American Federation of Teachers filed Jan. 6 argues that Morath “unleashed a wave of retaliation and disciplinary actions against teachers” when he urged school districts to report “reprehensible and inappropriate” content about Kirk’s killing last year.
Texas AFT also wants the court to require that Morath retract his policy calling on school leaders to report any instances of “inappropriate content” related to Kirk’s death posted to teachers’ social media accounts. The lawsuit also asks the judge to require that Morath issue new guidance making clear to superintendents that districts do not have to report such conduct to the state if the alleged speech is legally protected.
Read more at The Texas Tribune.
