Central Mass. teacher placed on leave over post following death of Charlie Kirk
A Wachusett Regional High School teacher accused of making "inappropriate comments" online following the assassination of Charlie Kirk has been placed on leave, according to the school district.
Wachusett Regional School District Superintendent James Reilly and School Committee Chair Lauren Salmon-Garrett announced Thursday that the teacher, who was not named, was placed on administrative leave and is not allowed on the school's campus while the district investigates the matter.
In addition to placing the teacher on leave, the district requested an increased police presence at their schools, according to the statement.
The Holden Police Department confirmed on Facebook that they were at the high school in Holden following reports of the post.
"It was reported to us that a staff member at Wachusett Regional High School (WRHS) made social media comments in the wake of the tragic assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk. These comments sparked heated debate, millions of views and brought into question the safety of school operations for both students and staff at WRHS. Holden police officers worked through the night in partnership with other agencies to ultimately determine that there were no credible threats of violence at WRHS," the statement reads. "With this information, the police officers assigned to the 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. shift, as well as day-shift officers, were assigned to the school campus to ensure a safe and orderly drop off. We will continue to monitor the situation, and we will remain in contact with WRHS administration to provide them any public safety resources necessary."
The X page of LibsofTikTok, which is operated by the conservative social media user Chaya Raichik, posted on Wednesday an Instagram post that they claim the teacher made in the wake of Kirk's passing.
The post reads: "Just a reminder, we're NOT offering sympathy."
Clicking the link to the post results in a page on Instagram that reads, "Sorry, this page isn't available."
Attempts to reach the teacher named in the post were unsuccessful.
Kirk, a right-wing activist, author and media personality, was assassinated on Sept. 10 during a "Prove Me Wrong" debate in Utah.
On Thursday, federal officials released an image showing a "person of interest" in connection with the shooting.
Officials have described the shooter as "college age" and said they blended in with the crowd at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot and killed.
Following the assassination, investigators recovered a "high-powered" bolt-action rifle believed to be used in the shooting, according to Robert Bohls, special agent in charge of the F.B.I.'s Salt Lake City office.
Republican and Democratic politicians have condemned the shooting of Kirk and denounced political violence.
No information is currently known about the assassin's political ideology.
More on education
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
