California Teacher Sues School District Over First Amendment Rights After facebook Post on Charlie Kirk
A California teacher is alleging a violation of her free speech rights after being suspended for a private Facebook post commenting on teh death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Rachel McKagan, an English teacher with over a decade of experience in the Las Virgenes Unified school District (LVUSD), filed a federal lawsuit Friday, claiming school officials amplified her post and endangered her safety.
McKagan’s lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court, Central District of California, alleges that district officials responded to her post with a “media frenzy” and attempted to terminate her employment. the controversy began after McKagan posted a message on her personal Facebook account,visible to friends,stating that Kirk “got what he deserved” the day after he was fatally shot in Utah. She promptly deleted the post at the urging of a school principal, but not before it was flagged by a district administrator.
The district afterward issued a statement condemning the remarks as “vile and fully inappropriate,” without naming McKagan directly. However, the teacher was quickly identified online and subjected to threats, according to the lawsuit.A screenshot obtained by mckagan revealed a text exchange between the school board president, Dallas Lawrence, and a local activist affiliated with the “MAGA” movement, indicating that all five trustees wanted to fire her and were holding a meeting to discuss the matter. the lawsuit claims this meeting was held without proper public notice, violating state law.
“She is distressed that the school board, its president, and the school superintendent exhibited such disregard for her First Amendment rights for their own political purposes,” stated David Ratner, McKagan’s lawyer, in an email. “It seems to me that the school board sent the wrong message to its community by publicly attacking Ms. McKagan. I think that the right to express one’s opinions, whether popular or not, is so fundamental to our democracy.”
McKagan was initially suspended but was allowed to return to teaching English and ESL classes on November 10th. Despite the return to work, and a reported warm welcome from colleagues and students, McKagan is seeking unspecified damages from the LVUSD, Superintendent Daniel Stepenosky, Lawrence, four additional board trustees, and 50 unidentified individuals.
The lawsuit details how Lawrence and other board members reposted the district’s condemning statement on their personal social media accounts and within LVUSD parent groups, further amplifying its reach. Even city council members from nearby Calabasas reportedly shared the statement, contributing to the widespread dissemination of the controversy.
Following the district’s statement, McKagan’s school and identity were quickly revealed in online forums and a local newspaper article. She received a threatening phone call and, fearing for her safety, attempted to remove her and her husband’s online presence. McKagan alleges the district refused to remove identifying details that could put her at risk.
The district did not pursue further disciplinary action after McKagan’s return to work. The lawsuit alleges the district’s actions were politically motivated and violated McKagan’s constitutional rights. NBC News has reached out to the district, Stepenosky, and Lawrence for comment but has not yet received a response.
