Hawaii school administrators are facing legal scrutiny after a middle school history teacher was allegedly disciplined for discussing the killing of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk during a Constitution Day lesson. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a conservative legal group, has accused the Hawaii Department of Education of violating the teacher’s First Amendment rights by restricting classroom discussions on free speech following the incident. The incident, which occurred on September 17, reportedly involved a teacher leading a federally mandated Constitution Day lesson on the Bill of Rights, during which students discussed the Sept. 10 killing of Kirk, a founder of Turning Point USA, while debating on a Utah campus.
The teacher, who remains unnamed in the legal complaint, allowed students to explore the concept of protected speech, including ‘hate speech,’ which is explicitly shielded under the First Amendment. During the discussion, a student referenced Kirk’s murder, stating that he was killed for his speech, prompting the teacher to ask students to name other historical figures who had been killed for their views. Students identified Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Abraham Lincoln, while another student suggested that assassinating President Donald Trump due to his speech could be justified. The teacher, in response, clarified that such violent acts are not protected under the Constitution and that no form of violence is an acceptable response to dissent.
Later that day, a student brought up Kirk’s murder again, and the teacher confirmed that he had been shot for his speech. The teacher was then called into a meeting with the vice principal, who labeled the discussion on Kirk too ‘controversial’ for the classroom. A parent reportedly filed a complaint about the classroom discussion, leading to a warning from the vice principal that the teacher should