By Bruce Rolfe
A Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools teacher was placed on paid administrative leave September 11 after addressing a controversial topic with a social media post according to the G-A School District.
The school district did not name the school teacher placed on administrative leave.
A post following the death of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was allegedly made on the personal Facebook page of a G-A Community Schools teacher.
The Facebook post starts out with “Make ts known.” The post then mentions two quotes by Kirk, who was assassinated September 10. Kirk’s quotes, “I think it’s worth, to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our God-given rights.” and “I think empathy is a made up New Age term that does a lot of damage,” were followed by, “Karma is a b- - - - Thoughts and prayers a - -hole.”
Melvina Gillespie, the MEA representative for the G-A school district’s teachers, told the board and audience at Monday’s regular school board meeting the G-A school teacher does regret the choice of words used in the post.
“Let me be clear, the teacher has already acknowledged that his choice of words was inappropriate as he’s admitted to the board. He has taken responsibility and issued a statement clarifying his intent. He has since removed his social media account entirely. His intent was to critique comments made by Charlie Kirk, not to celebrate violence, or death, still he recognizes that the way he expressed himself could have been stated differently. And he realizes it did cause some hurt,” said Gillespie.
She adds placing the teacher on leave was a good move to allow emotions to cool and protect both the teacher and the school community.
“Escalating the situation further by forcing a resignation or termination will not heal the community. It will only deepen division,” said Gillespie, who emphasized due process and fair process matters.
In a statement provided by G-A Superintendent Dr. Lindsey Newton, the district states, “we recognize that a social media post by a Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools teacher, addressing a controversial topic, has understandably caused concern in our community. The teacher’s comments do not reflect the sentiments of the school district.”
The Facebook post was no longer visible September 12. However screenshots of the post was widely circulated on Facebook, bringing many follow up posts condemning the teacher’s post.
One Facebook user responded with the post, “We will be heard. We’re coming for your job.” After mentioning the teacher’s name, the same Facebook user adds, “I will make sure the people of Galesburg Augusta and other counties know the type of person you are.”
While one Facebook user agreed the G-A teacher has first amendment rights, the Facebook user recommended the teacher consider using Facebook’s privacy settings.
Newton said the school district continues to conduct a thorough investigation and continues to work with the district’s legal counsel to determine next steps.
Newton said the social media post by the teacher brought nearly 300 contacts through telephone calls, emails, text messages, voice mail, and Facebook postings with Facebook Messenger. She adds the district relies heavily on Messenger to communicate, and the incident increased the district’s Messenger usage analytics 225%.
“The influx has disrupted our flow the last three work days including the weekend,” the G-A superintendent said.
Newton added the social media post also initiated student response at the high school with students wanting to recognize First Amendment rights by leading a silent walkout in opposition of the teacher’s post.
Near the end of Monday’s school board meeting, Newton read the following statement:
“As superintendent, I want to take a moment to speak directly to our students, families, staff, and community.
“While our district has recently been under the public eye and we recognize there has been negative attention, I want to be clear about one thing: I am proud to serve as superintendent in this district.
“Every day I see the dedication of our teachers, the resilience of our students, and the care our families and staff pour into making this an outstanding place to learn and grow. These moments of challenge do not define us—they remind us of the importance of listening, of working together, and of staying focused on what truly matters: the education and well-being of our students.
“I love where I work, and I am deeply committed to continuing to lead with integrity, compassion, and pride in the values of this community.”
A Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools teacher was placed on paid administrative leave September 11 after addressing a controversial topic with a social media post according to the G-A School District.
The school district did not name the school teacher placed on administrative leave.
A post following the death of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was allegedly made on the personal Facebook page of a G-A Community Schools teacher.
The Facebook post starts out with “Make ts known.” The post then mentions two quotes by Kirk, who was assassinated September 10. Kirk’s quotes, “I think it’s worth, to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our God-given rights.” and “I think empathy is a made up New Age term that does a lot of damage,” were followed by, “Karma is a b- - - - Thoughts and prayers a - -hole.”
Melvina Gillespie, the MEA representative for the G-A school district’s teachers, told the board and audience at Monday’s regular school board meeting the G-A school teacher does regret the choice of words used in the post.
“Let me be clear, the teacher has already acknowledged that his choice of words was inappropriate as he’s admitted to the board. He has taken responsibility and issued a statement clarifying his intent. He has since removed his social media account entirely. His intent was to critique comments made by Charlie Kirk, not to celebrate violence, or death, still he recognizes that the way he expressed himself could have been stated differently. And he realizes it did cause some hurt,” said Gillespie.
She adds placing the teacher on leave was a good move to allow emotions to cool and protect both the teacher and the school community.
“Escalating the situation further by forcing a resignation or termination will not heal the community. It will only deepen division,” said Gillespie, who emphasized due process and fair process matters.
In a statement provided by G-A Superintendent Dr. Lindsey Newton, the district states, “we recognize that a social media post by a Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools teacher, addressing a controversial topic, has understandably caused concern in our community. The teacher’s comments do not reflect the sentiments of the school district.”
The Facebook post was no longer visible September 12. However screenshots of the post was widely circulated on Facebook, bringing many follow up posts condemning the teacher’s post.
One Facebook user responded with the post, “We will be heard. We’re coming for your job.” After mentioning the teacher’s name, the same Facebook user adds, “I will make sure the people of Galesburg Augusta and other counties know the type of person you are.”
While one Facebook user agreed the G-A teacher has first amendment rights, the Facebook user recommended the teacher consider using Facebook’s privacy settings.
Newton said the school district continues to conduct a thorough investigation and continues to work with the district’s legal counsel to determine next steps.
Newton said the social media post by the teacher brought nearly 300 contacts through telephone calls, emails, text messages, voice mail, and Facebook postings with Facebook Messenger. She adds the district relies heavily on Messenger to communicate, and the incident increased the district’s Messenger usage analytics 225%.
“The influx has disrupted our flow the last three work days including the weekend,” the G-A superintendent said.
Newton added the social media post also initiated student response at the high school with students wanting to recognize First Amendment rights by leading a silent walkout in opposition of the teacher’s post.
Near the end of Monday’s school board meeting, Newton read the following statement:
“As superintendent, I want to take a moment to speak directly to our students, families, staff, and community.
“While our district has recently been under the public eye and we recognize there has been negative attention, I want to be clear about one thing: I am proud to serve as superintendent in this district.
“Every day I see the dedication of our teachers, the resilience of our students, and the care our families and staff pour into making this an outstanding place to learn and grow. These moments of challenge do not define us—they remind us of the importance of listening, of working together, and of staying focused on what truly matters: the education and well-being of our students.
“I love where I work, and I am deeply committed to continuing to lead with integrity, compassion, and pride in the values of this community.”
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