Teachers Who Cheered Trump Assassination Attempt Disciplined by School Officials Including Oklahoma Teacher

WASHINGTON (CITC) — Teachers nationwide are facing disciplinary action this week for controversial social media posts about the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.

Social media users have shared screenshots of educators appearing to lament the assassination attempt being unsuccessful. Many of the remarks have been revealed by popular X account Libs of TikTok, with such posts drawing millions of views.

School districts have acted swiftly in some cases. The Sioux Falls School District in South Dakota announced Tuesday a staff member is “no longer employed” after sharing a social media post about Trump. The decision followed middle school behavior specialist Cassandra Oleson writing “Shoot ~ If only he would’ve had his scope sighted in correctly” on Facebook, according to KSFY.

Sioux Falls Schools said “the staff member’s statement does not align with [its] values and was not condoned in any way.”

“We remain committed to fostering a safe, respectful learning environment for all students and staff and upholding the values of our community,” the district wrote in a statement.

Alison Scott, a teacher at Ardmore City Schools in Oklahoma, is under scrutiny by both district and state officials. The teacher wrote “wish they had a better scope” on Facebook in an apparent reference to the shooting, prompting her district to launch an investigation. Ardmore City Schools said Tuesday while it “strongly condemns acts of physical violence and any words that seek to encourage it,” it cannot discuss “what actions, if any” will be taken.

However, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters took a stronger approach, writing on X Tuesday night he intends to revoke Scott’s teaching certificate.

She will no longer be teaching in Oklahoma,” Walters said.

Retired rhetoric professor Dr. Richard Vatz told Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) the outpouring of educator posts about the shooting is unlike anything he has witnessed before.

“I taught in higher education for over 50 years and witnessed only a small minority of teachers and professors who would run to social media or other public sites and support such despicable illegal and or murderous behavior,” he said.

Teachers and professors are thought to be responsible adults,” Vatz added. “The type of complete irresponsibility entailed in publicly okaying political violence means they are in the wrong profession.”

Other school districts have hesitated to publicly say whether they are disciplining staff members under scrutiny. Jennifer Ripper, a Jefferson County, Colorado teacher, drew both local and out-of-state backlash this week after writing “looks like he ALMOST got taken out” on Facebook following the assassination attempt.

READ MORE | Colorado teacher sparks outrage with Trump assassination attempt post: ‘Now he’s a martyr’

Jeffco Public Schools has not responded to repeated requests from CITC to comment on Ripper’s remarks and confirm her employment status. However, the district changed the voicemail recording for its Family Response Service Team Monday to say it “does not endorse violence of any kind.”

Similar actions have also been taken at the higher education level. Bellarmine University in Kentucky announced Tuesday a professor who wrote “if you’re gonna shoot, man, don’t miss” on social media is no longer employed. The school explained “words and actions that condone violence” are “unacceptable and contrary” to its values.

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