Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) –
Two Hallsville School District staff members have resigned from the district after a month of paid leave over posts they shared about Charlie Kirk’s death.
Anthony Plogger and Kayla Lewis were suspended with pay for sharing posts about Kirk from a page called “So Informed.” The post expressed a lack of empathy for Kirk because of his past statements.
Kirk was a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA — an organization that sought to win young adults over to conservative politics. He was killed by a sniper during a speaking event at a university in Utah.
Since his death, Kirk’s allies have encouraged conservatives to expose social media posts critical of Kirk or celebrating his death.
School board president Craig Stevenson said in a statement sent to district families that the employees have separation agreements signed with the district.
“We are committed to ensuring a positive, respectful, and supportive learning environment for our students,” Stevenson wrote.
ABC 17 News obtained the agreements from the district. Lewis signed hers on Oct. 7 and Plogger signed his on Oct. 14.
The agreements state their resignations will be effective at the end of the 2025-2026 school year; until then, Plogger and Lewis will remain on leave with full pay and benefits. Their individual health insurance coverage under the district’s group plan will continue through June 30, 2026.
The district also agreed to pay Lewis for completing a career ladder step for the 2025-2026 school year.
The district will provide references for Plogger and Lewis to future employers, according to their agreements.
Separation Agreement Kayla LewisDownload
A reference letter for Lewis was attached to her agreement. Lewis’ reference letter comes from Ty Sides, the Hallsville Middle School principal.
“I have had the privilege of working with Kayla for the past 5 years as a middle school counselor at Hallsville Middle School, and I can confidently say that she is an exceptional professional who will thrive in any counseling role,” the letter reads.
Sides detailed the skills that Lewis could bring into her next workplace.
“She possesses a deep understanding of the unique challenges that students face during their formative years, and her ability to connect with and empower them is truly remarkable. Her natural empathy and communication skills allow her to build trust with students, making her a go-to resource for those seeking guidance and support,” the letter states.
Separation Agreement Anthony PloggerDownload
The agreements say the employees cannot make any claims against the district or its affiliates. Those can include claims for compensatory damages, emotional distress, loss of reputation, humiliation, embarrassment, costs, expenses and attorneys’ fees.
The employees also agreed not to pursue any legal action against the district, its affiliates and any of its current and former employees. They also waived any right to employment, reinstatement or reemployment with the District.
Lewis has to return any district property she has within three business days of the agreement being fully executed. Plogger has 10 business days.
No one admitted liability, according to the agreements.
About a dozen members of the public spoke about the issue last month at a school board meeting.
ABC 17 News spoke with Hallsville parents on Thursday. Many reactions were split around the issue.
Karena White said her son used to attend Hallsville Middle School and her daughter still attends Hallsville Primary School. She is concerned about her daughter’s future with the school district and its employees that support Plogger and Lewis.
“The fact that the same staff is openly supporting these vial opinions of staff in relation to the Charley Kirk tragedy makes me very concerned for her future in this school,” White said in a statement to ABC 17 News.
Another parent, who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation, said she feels the situation was ‘grossly mishandled’ by the district.
“My family is considering moving out of the district,” the parent said in a statement to ABC 17 News. “This is not just sad for our students who were without a teacher and counselor for a month, but our district which struggles with teacher retention to begin with, and also the state of the country as a whole. This was a matter of free speech and it was grossly mishandled.”
She questioned the district’s next steps forward.
“I question what the school district is doing to attract teachers, what they are doing to retain teachers, how they can assure that our students’ education and social/emotional development will not be negatively impacted until full-time replacement staff are hired, and how they will repair the broken trust of their teachers and this community,” the parent said.
A Hallsville teacher, who asked to stay anonymous due to fear of retaliation, tells ABC 17 News the situation has made many of the teachers within the district fear for their own jobs.
“The overwhelming message this sent the staff was that we aren’t protected by the district even if we do nothing wrong. This set a concerning precedent. Many of us are upset and disagree with how this turned out, including their students,” the teacher said.
In a statement to ABC 17 News, Superintendent Tyler Walker said the district has started the hiring process.
“The district is making every effort to fill these positions as quickly as possible in order to provide our students with consistent and high quality educational services,” Walker said.
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