A San Jacinto schools employee was placed on leave after posting comments on social media after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
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In a Tuesday, Sept. 16, letter posted online, San Jacinto Unified School District Superintendent David Pyle wrote that the district does not “condone or tolerate hate speech in any form, rather we stand for peace and mutual respect.”
“At the same time, we must and do honor the First Amendment rights of our employees to share their personal view on matters of public concern when speaking as a private citizen,” Pyle wrote. “We want to be clear: the personal comments made by this employee do not reflect the values, standards or mission of our District.”
The letter does not name the employee, the school or location at which he or she works or describe the social media comments. It states that the employee is on “non-disciplinary administrative leave pending a full investigation.”
District spokesperson Carrie Best declined further comment Wednesday, Sept. 17, and would not define the term “non-disciplinary administrative leave.”
Kirk was shot and killed Wednesday, Sept. 10, while speaking to thousands at a Utah university.
Authorities arrested a 22-year-old man and booked him on suspicion of murder and other charges in the assassination of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who built a media empire focused on recruiting young people to the conservative movement.
In the letter, Pyle thanked the community for reaching out about the social media posts.
Pyle’s statement said that a school board policy on professional standards expects staff “to maintain the highest ethical standards, behave professionally, follow district policies and regulations” and to abide by state and federal laws.
The policy also states that staff should exercise good judgment when interacting with students and members of the community and that staff should behave in a way that “enhances the integrity of the district, advances the goals of the district’s educational programs, and contributes to a positive school climate,” Pyle wrote.
“Moving forward, we will clarify guidelines regarding staff conduct in response to controversial topics, with the dual goal of protecting First Amendment rights while ensuring all individuals are treated with dignity and respect and our employees behave in accordance with our adopted professional standards,” Pyle wrote.
