In the days since the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, a concerning number of teachers and professors have stated that they wish he hadn’t survived, and some have even made calls for further violence.
In response, a teacher from Colorado posted a cautionary message on a Reddit forum with nearly a million members, urging her peers to “PLEASE watch [their] social media posts.”
She elaborated, “In the interest of safety, I am secretly inside several of my state’s ‘Kids First,’ ‘Moms for Liberty,’ and similar Facebook groups. A teacher made ONE post about Trump’s attempted assassination on her PRIVATE page and someone in her circle [screenshotted] it and sent it to these groups.”
The post in question was made by Cassandra Oleson, now a former (fired) staff member at Ben Reifel Middle School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Oleson wrote, “Shoot – If only he would’ve had his scope sighted in correctly.”
A teacher from Philadelphia commented, “I hate [T]rump, I’m terrified for what’s coming next. The things I said in my home with my husband were way worse than this post. But I wouldn’t say them in front of just anyone and I definitely wouldn’t put them in writing.”
“This fall is going to be unbearable,” remarked a Florida public school educator in response to the warning, receiving 447 upvotes.
Another teacher expressed frustration, saying, “I HATE that as teachers we are expected to be ‘kid and school appropriate’ at all times. I am GROWN. I am allowed to do what I want in my free time.”
Another comment read, “Tell the Karens. I DO WHAT I WANT.”
These incidents reveal a trend of radicalization among educators in America. The open expressions of violent rhetoric and an apparent lack of remorse among those who have crossed the line raise some very serious concerns.
Educators do indeed have the right to voice their political opinions, whatever they may be. They certainly do not, however, have the right to make public comments in support of the murder of a president.
