INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Teachers Association has condemned political violence while warning that threats to revoke educators' licenses for lawful speech could silence honest teaching.
The statement comes after Governor Mike Braun announced the Secretary of Education will review statements made by K-12 teachers and administrators who have celebrated or incited political violence following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
This week, Ball State University fired its director of health promotion and advocacy, over comments she made on social media following Kirk's assassination. The university said her post was inconsistent with her leadership position and caused significant disruption.
"ISTA condemns violence in all forms, including political violence," the union said Thursday. "Indiana's educators devote their lives to creating safe and welcoming classrooms, and the vast majority do so with professionalism, care and deep commitment to their students every day."
The union said while celebrating violence is unacceptable, threatening educators' licenses for lawful speech risks silencing those who are teaching honestly or sharing personal views responsibly.
"Political violence threatens our democracy, but so does censorship," ISTA said.
Braun said teachers play a critical role in shaping youth and are held to a higher standard. He said while the vast majority of Indiana's educators live up to that standard, "sadly, in recent days a few have not."
"In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination, there have been some terrible things shared, particularly across social media," Braun said. "While we must protect the First Amendment, calls for political violence are not freedom of speech and should not be tolerated."
The Secretary of Education has the authority to suspend or revoke a license for misconduct and will review reported statements, according to Braun.
In an email to WRTV, an official from the Indiana Department of Education said the office is aware of social media comments made by a small number of Indiana educators following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The office is in the process of reviewing each matter accordingly.
IDOE added that these isolated comments do not represent Indiana educators as a whole, and the vast majority of whom hold themselves to the highest professional standards and work diligently to model good citizenship.
The IDOE does not have any comments on open investigations during the legal proceedings.
ISTA said it stands ready to work with state leaders to ensure educators can stay focused on teaching and supporting Indiana's students.
