A Comal County first responder has been fired, and a Jourdanton ISD teacher is under investigation, after Charlie Kirk social media post.
SAN ANTONIO — A growing number of public employees across Texas are facing disciplinary action — including terminations and investigations — following social media posts related to the recent killing of Charlie Kirk.
This week, Comal County Emergency Services District No. 3 confirmed one of its firefighters was terminated after an internal investigation into an online post.
Meanwhile, Jourdanton ISD announced Friday it is investigating a teacher’s social media activity involving Kirk and is addressing the matter “in accordance with district policy.”
The disciplinary actions come amid heightened political tensions and renewed debate over the boundaries between free speech and professional conduct — particularly for public employees such as teachers and first responders.
“It’s no surprise that some people have some extreme emotions regarding that man, and some of the things that he said,” Attorney Joe Holescher, told KENS 5.
Statewide Investigations Underway
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) weighed in last week, stating it is aware of educators who have posted or shared what it described as “reprehensible and inappropriate content.” The agency said it will investigate to determine whether the posts violate the Educators’ Code of Ethics.
“The whole tone of the letter shows a tremendous amount of support and sympathy for Charlie Kirk, but not for anybody who might be offended — reasonably — by some of the comments he’s made,” said Holscher.
Free Speech vs. Employment: What Are the Legal Limits?
Experts say whether a firing over a social media post is lawful often depends on whether the employer is public or private.
“Private employers really aren’t governed by the First Amendment,” said employment attorney Lawrence Morales. “The First Amendment only restricts the activities of state actors or those acting under color of state law. So, as a general rule, if a private employer wants to terminate somebody for social media posts — regardless of what the content is — they are free to do that.”
But Morales noted that public employees, such as government workers or teachers, do have some protections under the First Amendment.
“Public employers are governed by the First Amendment, and there would be some restrictions about terminating people for certain speech made on social media or otherwise,” he said.
Still, both attorneys emphasized that Texas is an at-will employment state. That means workers can generally be fired at any time for any reason, unless they are protected by a contract or other legal exception.
Holscher says right now is the time to give each other a little bit of tolerance of things being said, during this heated time.
“People are very emotional right now, and everybody needs to take a step back when asking themselves whether or not another American’s opinion crossed such a line that, as a government agency, can terminate them and try to ruin their careers,” he said.
Governor: 100+ Educators Under Review
On Monday evening, Gov. Greg Abbott weighed in via social media, stating that more than 100 educators are currently under investigation for their comments related to Kirk’s killing.
Abbott said any teacher whose actions “called for or incited violence” will have their teaching certification suspended and will be ineligible from working in Texas public schools.