Texas American Federation of Teachers filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Texas Education Agency and its commissioner, Mike Morath, alleging the state unlawfully investigated educators for protected speech following the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah in Sept. 2025.
According to the union, TEA launched investigations into more than 350 educators after issuing a letter on Sept. 12, 2025.
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The lawsuit argues the actions targeted teachers “for social media posts and other speech made outside the classroom and unrelated to their official duties,” actions the ATF argues were in violation of the First Amendment.
Back in September, KPRC 2 reported that multiple current and former educators in the Houston area were terminated or reprimanded for social media comments made in the wake of Kirk’s assassination.
The incidents impacted employees in Klein ISD, Pasadena ISD, Goose Creek CISD, and Dickinson ISD, among others.
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Texas AFT claims the investigations led to disciplinary measures against members, including administrative leave, reprimands and terminations.
The lawsuit also argues that the policy guiding the investigations is vague and overly broad, creating a widely negative attitude on educators’ freedom of speech and even harming their employment prospects.
“Educators don’t give up their constitutional rights when they get their first teaching job,” Texas AFT President Zeph Capo said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
OUR FIRST REPORT: TEA to investigate teachers’ social media posts about Charlie Kirk assassination
National AFT President Randi Weingarten said the state’s actions amounted to a “state-sponsored attack on teachers” and urged officials to focus on supporting educators rather than disciplining them for private speech.
The lawsuit was officially announced at a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Austin.
Texas AFT represents about 66,000 educators and school employees statewide.