The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is investigating over 350 complaints it received about educators and staff in 124 school districts across the state who allegedly made “inappropriate” remarks about the Sept. 10 assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Comal ISD joins 12 other school districts in the greater San Antonio area under scrutiny by the TEA, which oversees primary and secondary public education. There are 1,207 school districts and charter schools in Texas.
Also under investigation are Eagle Pass, Edgewood, Jourdanton, Lackland, North East, Northside, Pearsall, San Antonio, Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City, Seguin, and Southwest ISDs, along with IDEA Public Schools.
Comal ISD did not respond to an email from MyCanyonLake.com asking for the district’s reaction to the news, which first came to light after a San Antonio TV station filed an open-records request with the TEA.
TEA did not provide any further information about the number of complaints made in each district but said more than one complaint may have been received about each individual.
In the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s death, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath sent a letter to Texas school superintendents, warning that some posts could constitute a violation of the Educators’ Code of Ethics.
The letter promised that “each instance will be thoroughly reviewed to determine whether sanctionable conduct has occurred and staff will investigate thoroughly.”
He asked educators to report any “inappropriate content being shared” through the TEA’s Misconduct Reporting Portal.
The Texas Tribune Sept. 30 reported legal experts and public education advocates believe Morath’s action is an attack on teachers’ free speech.
“What’s especially troubling is the political pressure surrounding these investigations and the demands coming from the highest officials in the state that teachers face investigation and punishment for their comments about a public figure,” said Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.