JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two local teachers are fighting back after being pulled from the classroom for making controversial comments in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
They’ve both filed federal lawsuits in which they claim their free speech rights have been violated.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
The two teachers suing Duval County Public Schools are Douglas Anderson School of the Arts teacher Hope McMath and Oak Hill Academy paraeducator Haley Bartlett.
McMath’s post read in-part “Karma’s a b****” while Bartlett reposted a video she describes as showing disagreement with Kirk’s views.
“I feel like I’m sitting here, not just for Hope McMath, part-time AP art history teacher at Douglas Anderson, but for all our teachers out there,” McMath said.
RELATED: Prominent Douglas Anderson teacher removed over social media post – now she’s lawyered up
Both teachers said since being removed from the classroom they’ve been assigned to menial tasks with no word one when they’ll be allowed t return, if they can return at all.
“It’s definitely affected my mental health a ton and a lot of people around me,” Bartlett said.
Their attorney, John Phillips, argued the district has not only violated the teachers’ First Amendment rights, but is also engaged in selective enforcement.
RELATED: Duval School Board’s ‘turning point’ shirts spark hypocrisy claims amid firings, investigations
Their lawsuits cite serval examples of posts made by other district teachers commenting on social and political issues from a conservative perspective who have not faced any disciplinary action.
Incidents involving school board members wearing shirts with nods to Kirk’s organization Turning Point USA during a school board meeting and those members’ associations with the conservative organization Mom’s For Liberty are also cited in the lawsuits.
Phillips espoused confidence his clients have a strong case and will come out on top, given a recent ruling that went against DCPS in a similar case.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
That case involved a former Duval math teacher who successfully sued the district after he was suspended in 2020 for reposting controversial rhetoric about then-Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
“Can you release confidential information, top secret information? Absolutely not, you can’t. There are lines, but political speech has always been protected,” Phillips said.
While Bartlett’s suit only targets DCPS, McMath’s suit also names the Florida Department of Education, four individual school board members and the state commissioner of education.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
McMath’s suit also includes defamation claims against Moms for Liberty, which was the group that filed the initial complaint against her.
DCPS declined to address the specific allegations in the suit due to the active litigation, but did tell Action News Jax, “Any response from the district will be provided through the appropriate judicial proceedings.”
We’ve reached out to the Florida Department of Education as well and are awaiting a response.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
