Following the murder of Charlie Kirk, a conservative social media influencer and activist, many took to social media to voice their reactions to his sudden death.
In Massachusetts, at least six educators have been placed on leave and face consequences due to negative statements they made about Kirk online. Employees of other organizations, including Nasdaq and a Massachusetts police department, have also been let go or reassigned.
Here are some of the people who are currently facing consequences for their online statements about Kirk.
Two high school teachers in Peabody
Two teachers from the North Shore town’s high school were placed on leave Sept. 12.
One teacher will not be returning to the school, while the other remains under investigation, Peabody Superintendent Josh Vadala confirmed to The Globe. It is unclear whether or not the teacher resigned or was let go.
Wachusett Regional High School teacher in Holden
A teacher at the school was placed on leave and banned from the school’s property, following posts about Kirk’s killing on a private social media account.
The Holden Police Department was made aware of the comments Sept. 10, the department announced in a Facebook post.
“These comments sparked heated debate, millions of views and brought into question the safety of school operations for both students and staff at WRHS,” the post said. The police ultimately found there were no credible threats of violence at the school.
A post on X by the account “Libs of TikTok” shows the teacher’s alleged post, which she made on her Instagram story. It reads, “Just a reminder we’re NOT offering sympathy.”
King Elementary School teacher
A teacher at King Elementary School in Framingham was placed on leave after allegedly making a social media post “celebrating” Kirk’s death.
A post, shared on X by “Libs of TikTok,” shows Samantha Marengo, a teacher at the school, singing the words to “God Bless America” while filming a news clip about Kirk’s shooting.
A teacher at the school was placed on leave after the school was made aware of their alleged inflammatory comments about Kirk.
Sharon Public Schools Superintendent Peter J. Botelho and Sharon High School Principal Kristen M. Keenan said in a statement that the teacher’s comments “categorically do not reflect the values of Sharon High School or Sharon Public Schools.”
School nurse in Ipswich
Jon Stafford, a nurse at Winthrop Elementary school in Ipswich, was placed on leave, The Local News, Ipswich’s local paper, reported Sept. 13.
His post criticized Kirk and his views. Ipswich residents have since called for Stafford to be reinstated at the school.
School resource officer in Malden
A resource officer from Malden’s police department was internally reassigned because of social media comments.
According to the Malden Police Department’s website, school resource officers “[assist] the school administration in maintaining a safe and secure learning environment” and “[provide] a highly visible uniformed presence to deter or identify trespassers on school grounds.”
Broad Institute employee
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a Massachusetts-based biomedical research center, fired an employee for their alleged “deeply offensive” comment on their personal social media account.
“Tonight we suspended an employee and are prepared to take additional action in response to a deeply offensive comment posted to the employee’s personal social media account referencing the murder of Charlie Kirk,” the Institute explained on X.
Later, the Institute announced that the individual was no longer employed by the Broad. Spokesperson David Cameron declined to elaborate on the employee or the details surrounding the post.
Historical Commission Committee member in Fall River
Jason Bouchard-Nawrocki stepped down from his role as a Fall River Historical Commission committee member after allegedly posting social media messages about Kirk’s death.
In the messages, Bouchard-Nawrocki is alleged to have written, “He reaped what he sowed. I hope it’s warm in hell.”
He reportedly stepped down from his position after conversations with Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan.
Barrington, R.I., high school teacher
A high school teacher and teacher’s union president in Barrington, R.I., was placed on leave and asked to step down from his role as president after posting a TikTok criticizing Kirk.
In the video, the teacher, Benjamin Fillo, called Kirk a “piece of garbage” and said, “I have about as much sympathy for Charlie Kirk right now as I do for all those farmers across the country who want socialist handouts from the government right now.”
He was placed on paid administrative leave Sept. 11 after several viewers of his video contacted the school district to alert them of Fillo’s words.
Manchester Memorial High School teacher in Manchester, N.H.
A teacher is under investigation by the school district after allegedly making comments about Kirk’s death in the classroom, which students found offensive. No additional information has been released.
Timberlane High School teacher in Plaistow, N.H.
A teacher at Timberlane High School was placed on leave after posting on his private Facebook account. The post has since been taken down.
In a statement to the school community, the superintendent and school board chair wrote, “The Timberlane Regional School District has been made aware of a social media post allegedly made by a member of our high school staff regarding the recent shooting and death of a public figure. We are investigating the circumstances regarding that post. The employee has been removed with pay in accordance with New Hampshire law. To the extent permitted, we will share additional information pending the outcome of the investigation.”
In response to the crackdown on school employees following their social media posts, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, a union that represents 117,000 members in 400 local associations, called for schools to defend their educators.
“We are insisting that public school administrators or officials not take actions that validate accusations by extremists against educators,“ MTA wrote in the statement on its website. ”We urge administrators to consider the legal and contractual rights of union members and to give equal weight to justice, due process and caution.”
The firings and suspensions in New England are part of a wave of such disciplinary measures across the country in response to social media comments about Kirk.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Jason Bouchard-Nawrocki’s place of work.
Katarina Schmeiszer can be reached at katarina.schmeiszer@globe.com. Follow her on X at @katschmeiszer.