AFT’s Weingarten Responds to the Targeting of Educators Following Kirk’s Assassination

WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten released the following statement in response to the targeting of educators in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk:

“Acts of violence and hate must be condemned, always. They are antithetical to democracy and the values we try to instill as teachers.

“Last week, anyone with a social media feed—including children—witnessed a devastating tragedy, a horrific act of political violence, that has traumatized the nation. Since then, teachers and many others we represent across the country have tried to deal with the effects of that trauma as it is playing out in classrooms, campuses, caregiving sites and other settings.

“Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and former presidents rightly recognized this moment as an inflection point, a time not just to denounce the Kirk killing as the political violence that it was, but to find a way to come together and to de-escalate.

“The current administration, unfortunately, has not. And some are weaponizing this moment.

“Of course, no one should celebrate another person’s murder. But using this tragedy to encourage the doxxing, censorship and firing of people for their opinions—including educators’ private opinions shared during their personal time—is wrong.

“Conservatives, too, are warning against going down this dangerous road. They know this sends the absolute wrong message to chill speech—one of the most important freedoms in our country.

“Americans must be able to exercise their First Amendment rights in their personal lives, regardless of whether we agree or disagree with them. None of us who values freedom should ever want to relinquish that right.

“We once again are calling for an end to the hate and the smears. We must find ways to tone down the rhetoric and disagree civilly.

“As the framers envisioned, education is the path to civil debate and open inquiry—and teachers promote these founding principles of our nation every day in their classrooms.

“Let’s recognize the hard work they do, particularly in the wake of this tragedy and so many others we’ve faced as a nation, to assuage students’ trauma and create safe and welcoming environments where every student can succeed.

“Let’s denounce political violence, find that exit ramp, find ways to de-escalate—and let’s do it without eroding constitutional rights.”