Iowa teacher fired for social media post about Charlie Kirk shooting files lawsuit against school district
An Oskaloosa High School art teacher is suing the school district, claiming it violated his constitutional right to free speech when the school board voted to fire him over a post he made in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting.The Oskaloosa School Board voted to terminate art teacher Matthew Kargol's contract following a closed session meeting on Wednesday.On Thursday morning, Kargol filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. He is suing the school district and district superintendent Michael Fisher.The lawsuit claims that a social media post Kargol made in the hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk's shooting death on Sept. 10 was "rhetorical hyperbole" and nothing about the post connected his words to his employment with Oskaloosa Schools.READ MORE: Iowa teacher fired for post after death of conservative activist Charlie KirkThe lawsuit notes that Kargol's profile did not identify him as a school district employee and was not made in the classroom, during working hours, or using school resources.Within hours of Kargol's post, the district began receiving calls from community members who were upset about the post. On Wednesday, the district told KCCI they received over 1,200 phone calls.Kargol was then placed on leave.The day after the post was made, Fisher told KCCI, "This has created substantial material disruption to our learning environment."The lawsuit disputes that claim."The politically motivated pressure campaign did not allege any disruption in Mr. Kargol's classroom, any failure or inadequacy in his performance, or any threat to disrupt the learning environment," the lawsuit says. Instead, "the complaints were about the viewpoint Mr. Kargol expressed -- the content of his speech," the lawsuit alleges.The lawsuit also alleges that Fisher publicly announced that he would recommend to the school board that Kargol be fired, and that Fisher's condemnation was based on his own disagreement with Kargol's speech and the public disapproval, not based on evidence of disruption of the learning environment."Instead of respecting his right as a citizen to comment on political events of the utmost public interest, they chose to silence and punish him," the lawsuit says.On Thursday, the district released a statement acknowledging it was made aware of the lawsuit, adding:"The Board acted on the Superintendent's recommendation to terminate Mr. Kargol’s employment with the District on Wednesday, September 17. This matter was handled in accordance with applicable federal and state law and Board policy. Because this is both a personnel matter and pending litigation, Oskaloosa Schools cannot provide further comment at this time. Our focus remains on creating safe, healthy, and kind schools that engage all students to embrace the power of learning."Kargol started teaching at Oskaloosa High School in 2012. He also coached wrestling and track and field.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
