Local News
Union calls on districts to defend educators from online harassment and uphold free speech.
The Peabody Public Schools placed two high school teachers on leave for allegedly posting inappropriate social media posts following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Peabody Superintendent Josh Vadala said in a statement, “We take this very seriously and will respond appropriately.”
Vadala said the matter remains under investigation.
The move comes as three other school districts in the state — Wachusett, Framingham and Sharon — are launching internal investigations following controversial online reactions to Kirk’s murder.
A post from a teacher in the Wachusett Regional School District garnered millions of views on X, via screenshots shared by the Libs of TikTok account. The images showed the teacher posting “Just a reminder, we’re NOT offering sympathy” as an Instagram story from a personal account.
Libs of TikTok also shared a video allegedly posted by the Framingham teacher, who appeared to be singing “God Bless America” while a television news report covered Kirk’s death.
The reactions online prompted police presence at the Wachusett and Framingham school districts last week.
In response, the Massachusetts Teacher Association on Tuesday called on local schools to partner with unions “in the fight to defend educators from bullying and harassment” and to “protect their rights.”
“The ongoing campaign by extreme-right conservatives to discredit and defund public education has grotesquely exploited the shooting death of Charlie Kirk to launch attacks against people commenting on this public figure’s beliefs and statements,” the union said in a statement.
The union says the attacks against educators have included death and violence threats, and insists that district and campus leadership have an obligation to keep everyone safe.
The MTA asks school administrators to “not take actions that validate accusations by extremists against educators.”
It continued, “We urge administrators to consider the legal and contractual rights of union members and to give equal weight to justice, due process and caution.”
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.