TEA To Investigate School Employees for Criticizing Charlie Kirk

If Texas school employees can’t say anything nice about Charlie Kirk in the wake of his assassination last week, then they better say nothing at all — or else face a TEA misconduct investigation.

That’s the gist of a letter transmitted to superintendents on Friday (Sept. 12, 2025) by Education Commissioner Mike Morath.

“Vile Content”

Morath’s letter warns that he will refer all documents of educators that have proliferated “vile content” about Kirk to TEA’s Investigations Division because such posts could constitute a violation of the Texas Educators Code of Ethics.

The letter further cautions superintendents to report instances of inappropriate content being shared regarding Kirk to the TEA’s Misconduct Reporting Portal.

Growing Number of Reports

Morath’s letter was sent in the wake of a growing number of reports of educators (primarily teachers) being the targets of investigations, resigning and/or being threatened with firing due to negative comments they posted on social media, texted or otherwise communicated via other means regarding Kirk.

• Note: Among the several early reports included the firing of a Klein ISD employee, the resignation of two Wylie ISD employees, the placing of a Midland ISD employee on administrative leave, a Baylor University graduate student interning at Midway ISD being “removed” and Pasadena ISD “addressing” an employee’s social media comments.
  
  There’s also been reports of the creation of a nationwide centralized reporting system allowing anyone to report anybody anywhere who makes disparaging remarks about Kirk on social media or elsewhere — in the hopes the person will be publicly identified and fired.

A “Witch Hunt”

Texas AFT President Zeph Capo dismissed Morath’s letter — as well as calls by several state lawmakers to fire educators for voicing their opinions — as nothing more than a “witch hunt.”

Capo said Morath’s directive follows the “unceremonious and politically motivated firings” of two university professors (at Texas A&M and Texas State University).

Authoritarian Playbook

Said Capo: “These ‘investigations’ into teachers exercising their First Amendment rights outside their official duties silence dissent and encourage the purging of civil servants – both key tenets of the authoritarian playbook. We urge ISDs, colleges, and public universities to review the section on crumbling independent institutions as they consider how to move forward.”