A respected Georgia educator and “Teacher of the Year” finalist is fighting back after being indefinitely suspended for posting that the “world is a bit safer” without Charlie Kirk – whom she called “a fascist full of hate” – just hours after his assassination.

Michelle Mickens, a respected educator who was a finalist for “Georgia Teacher of the Year” in 2022, has spent over two decades shaping young minds in Georgia’s Oglethorpe County. According to a recently filed lawsuit, the 55-year-old educator had a spotless record – until Sept. 11, when she was pulled into her principal’s office to discuss a Facebook post she penned about right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

‘He’s part of the hatred’

On Sept. 10, Mickens shared a post to her private Facebook page, reportedly viewable only to close friends, only hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk had been assassinated.

According to CBS The post included a controversial quote from Kirk: “I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. – Charlie Kirk.”

Her message led to a heated exchange with her Facebook friends but remained confined to her private account – visible only to a limited group.

“I don’t condone violence of any kind, and I certainly don’t condone this, but he was a horrible person, a fascist full of hate for anyone who was different,” she wrote in response to a follower’s comment. “While I’m sad that we live in a country where gun violence is an epidemic, the world is a bit safer without him. I didn’t respect him at all, and he’s part of the hatred and vitriolic language we hear so much now. I pray that without him.”

Called to the principal’s office

The next day, Mickens was called into a meeting with Principal Bill Sampson and Superintendent Beverly Levine and was told the school had received a complaint from someone about the post, the New York Post reports.

According to court filings, Michael Iniquez, “an out-of-state former high school classmate” had taken a screenshot of the post and shared it publicly on X, urging social media users to let Sampson know how they feel about “letting someone like her teaching [sic] children.”

He even posted the principal’s direct email and phone number.

Initially, school officials told Mickens that no disciplinary action would be taken. However, Iniquez’s screenshot post was then shared on X by far-right activist group WPL (WomenPostingLS) and quickly went viral, escalating the situation.

‘She isn’t wrong’

The online community quickly jumped into the comment section of the post shared by WPL and offered their thoughts.

“I wouldn’t expect anything different from this person. If she can’t be nasty, she just can’t be anything,” one user tweeted.

A second shared: “Shouldn’t be allowed within 200 yds of a child never mind a school. Can’t imagine a more hateful left-wing fascist than this thing teaching our kids.”

Others, however, argued for free speech and many supported Mickens.

“And she is exactly right like hello? What happened to having freedom of speech?? I thought y’all were ALL for that right? the hypocrisy is beyondddd me,” argued one.

“She isn’t wrong. Kirk is a disgusting man, and he had it coming. I’m glad I had her as my teacher, she made me comfortable being around all the redneck republicans,” writes one of her old students.

Another former pupil shared: “Had her as a teacher, she’s amazing. Her opinions are just as valuable as his. One of the most genuine, talented teachers I ever had in high school.”

Indefinite leave

After the post circulated and sparked a heated debate, the teacher, who previously had “an unblemished record,” was asked to delete the message and issue a public apology. But Mickens declined, stating she would consult legal counsel first.

The next week, she was told to stay home from school and discovered her access to school systems had been revoked. She has been on indefinite leave since.

Federal lawsuit

Mickens has now filed a federal lawsuit against the Oglethorpe County School System and Superintendent Beverly Levine, asserting that her First Amendment rights were violated.

The suit, supported by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Georgia Association of Educators, claims that the district’s actions amounted to politically motivated retaliation.

“This case is about resisting the growing attempts to exert ideological control over public education,” Michael Tafelski, interim deputy legal director, SPLC, said in a news release. “Ms. Mickens is being targeted not because she violated any policy or harmed students, but because her personal views – expressed outside of the classroom – don’t align with those in power. This unconstitutional censorship of protected speech endangers a healthy democracy. We look forward to defending Ms. Mickens to ensure she can continue serving her students, as she has for decades, without fear of politically motivated retaliation.”

Mickens, who has never received a formal complaint in her 24-year teaching career, is looking to have her job “restored and protect the rights of all educators against censorship and intimidation.”

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