Two D49 staff members placed on leave over alleged comments about Charlie Kirk’s murder
Sadie Buggle
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Two staff members of School District 49 (D49) in El Paso County have been placed on administrative leave following alleged comments made about Charlie Kirk’s death.
Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and political speaker, was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. The murder has sparked deeper conversations about violence in American politics.
D49 shared the following statement to families at “The Campus,” which is home to Springs Studio for Academic Excellence and Pikes Peak Early College:
“Campus Families –
We are actively investigating reports that two of our staff members may have reacted to the news of the assassination of Charlie Kirk in ways that indicated approval of that action. We do not condone this kind of behavior, particularly in the presence of students.
Leaders at The Campus, the Sand Creek Zone, and District 49 take every report like this one very seriously. Behaviors like those described are a clear violation of the expectations we have for everyone associated with the District. We hold ourselves to a higher standard.
At this time, the staff involved have been placed on administrative leave while we continue to review the matter. Because these issues are an ongoing personnel matter, we will not provide further information or comments. As always, we thank you for your trust and understanding.”
-Dustin Horras, Sand Creek Zone Superintendent
It is unclear at this time what exactly the D49 staff members’ posts said; however, several similar situations have cropped up across the nation. The first was the firing of MSNBC fired senior political analyst, Matthew Dowd, after he claimed Kirk’s comments could have contributed to his shooting.
Several airlines have also said that they’ve suspended workers for comments they made on social media about the fatal shooting. Those airlines include Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines.
“We were made aware of Delta employees whose social media content, related to the recent murder of activist Charlie Kirk, went well beyond healthy, respectful debate,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in an internal memo shared with CNN.
Over the weekend, Secretary Sean Duffy took to X, condemning political violence and anyone supporting it.
“There’s no room for political violence in America and anyone applauding it will face the consequences. ESPECIALLY those we count on to ensure the safety of the flying public,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X.