Former Gaston County teacher sues after district fired her over Charlie Kirk post
A former Gaston County Schools teacher has filed a federal lawsuit against the district, alleging it violated her First Amendment rights when it fired her over a Facebook post about conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
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The district dismissed Holly Ackerman, who taught special needs students, in November due to a post she made on her personal Facebook page about Kirk’s death. Kirk was assassinated at a speaking event in Utah on Sept. 10.
Ackerman’s lawsuit, filed in federal court Tuesday, alleges her social media comment had “no impact” on her teaching or the district’s ability to educate students. It also argues the district violated her right to free speech.
She’s the latest of several educators around the country suing over their terminations related to posts about Charlie Kirk. Early this month, the University of Tennessee System reached a nearly $2 million settlement with a former professor who was terminated following comments she made about Kirk’s assassination.
Ackerman is suing Gaston County Schools, the members of the Gaston County Board of Education and Superintendent Morgen Houchard. She is seeking compensatory damages for lost wages, plus attorney’s fees.
The district did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ackerman commented “I can’t believe people are actually mourning this douchebag,” on a Sept. 10 post containing some of Kirk’s previous statements regarding gun violence and the Second Amendment.
She believed her comment was only visible to her Facebook friends, the complaint alleges. A screenshot of her post began circulating via social media, and Ackerman deleted the comment after receiving “an onslaught of texts and Facebook messages from people she did not know throughout the evening,” the lawsuit states.
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A screenshot of the post was shared on X by popular conservative social media account LibsofTikTok, The Charlotte Observer previously reported. By the next afternoon, over 2.3 million had viewed it.
On Sept. 23, Houchard, the district’s superintendent, gave written notice to Ackerman he was recommending her dismissal due to the Facebook post, the lawsuit states. He alleged the post “has caused and continues to cause significant disruption in the regular and efficient operation of the school and district-at-large.”
She was terminated Nov. 7.
Ackerman was not the only Charlotte-area educator to be investigated for online comments about Kirk’s death. A former teacher at Lake Norman Charter in Huntersville was placed on leave for his own post about Kirk before the school later confirmed he was no longer employed.
“After a comprehensive investigation that the gravity of this situation called for, we announced to our school stakeholders that the staff member who posted inappropriate social media content in relation to the Charlie Kirk killing is no longer employed by Lake Norman Charter,” the spokesperson said.
It’s unclear whether the employee was fired or resigned, and a school spokesperson told The Observer they could not discuss personnel matters.
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