Wake County teacher faces backlash for posting Charlie Kirk should ‘rot in hell’
A Wake County high school teacher remains in the classroom while conservative groups demand that he be removed for saying on social media that assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk should “rot in hell.” In a now-deleted Facebook post, Millbrook High School teacher Idris Abdul-Aziz called Kirk a bigot and said it was crazy for Black people to say “rest in peace” for the activist. The early Thursday morning post came after Kirk was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon while speaking at a large public event at a Utah college.
“Black people stating ‘RIP’ for a Bigot White Supremest is crazy talk,” Abdul-Aziz said in his post. “This dude lived to talk (expletive) about you and yours. What did he say about Black Women again? Let his ass ‘RIH’ Rot in Hell!!!!” Abdul-Aziz ended his post with an obscenity directed at Kirk. The post was public until Abdul-Aziz removed it from his Facebook page Friday morning. Abdul-Aziz, who is chair of the humanities department at Millbrook High School in Raleigh, did not respond Friday to an email and a message on Facebook from The News & Observer requesting comment.
The Wake County school system doesn’t appear to be going the same route as some other districts, which have placed teachers on leave while they investigate complaints about social media comments. Wake said Friday that Abdul-Aziz remains teaching at Millbrook, where he has worked since August 2018. He isn’t suspended, according to the district. A district spokesperson did not provide any additional information when The N&O asked if North Carolina’s largest school district is investigating Abdul-Aziz’s comments.
Wake reminds teachers to ‘think before you post’ But amid the national scrutiny over what people are saying online, Wake sent a memo Friday afternoon to school employees about social media use. The memo tells employees to “think before you post,” reminding them “content shared on ‘private’ accounts can still be copied or shared widely.” “Posts should never demean, insult, or harass others. Remember, your role as an educator makes you a role model for students and the community under Board Policy 7300: Employee Responsibilities and Code of Ethics,” Wake said in the memo. The memo includes a link to the school district’s social media guidelines. “Ideas and opinions employees share online via their personal social media accounts are a direct reflection on our school district,” the guidelines say. “Even when employees’ social media accounts are ‘private,’ it is still possible that their posts could be viewed and shared among students, parents and others in our community. “It is important to remember that employees who share inappropriate or offensive content via their personal social media accounts may face disciplinary action.”
Moms for Liberty wants teacher removed from classroom
The Wake County chapter of Moms for Liberty called on the Wake County school system to respond to the post.
“Should people who celebrate m*rd*r be around our children,” Moms for Liberty said in a post Thursday on X, previously called Twitter, that was directed to Wake County Superintendent Robert Taylor. “@4LifeEducator? NO!” Becky Lew-Hobbs, the Wake County chapter chair of Moms for Liberty, also said Abdul-Aziz should not be teaching any longer. “
Teachers have a right to their opinions.
But anyone celebrating the d*”th of someone who was having peaceful discourse should not be on campus or near children,” Lew-Hobbs said Thursday on X. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled Moms for Liberty an anti-government extremist organization. Moms for Liberty has gained more influence since President Donald Trump was elected last year. Teachers punished over comments about Charlie Kirk While Kirk was loved by many conservatives, his comments about Black people and the LGBTQ+ community drew anger from many liberals. It’s led to some teachers expressing their frustration over the reaction to Kirk’s death.