Parents and residents demand action after staff social posts about Charlie Kirk assassination; board cites personnel rules

Several parents and community members told the Southern York County School District Board of Education on Sept. 17 that two district employees posted material on social media they said celebrated or excused the assassination of commentator Charlie Kirk, and asked the board and administration to remove the employees from contact with students or terminate them. The board repeated that it does not publicly discuss personnel matters and said complaints should be handled by administrators.

Why it matters: Speakers said the posts damaged trust between families and school staff and traumatized students. Board members also said they had heard student confusion and fear following the assassination and urged better support for vulnerable students.

During public comment, Ashley Hayman, a parent, described posts she said appeared on teachers’ public social media pages and called their content unacceptable and dangerous. “This choice to share that video has now put our entire district once again in the public's eyes,” Hayman said. She said one teacher had previously told her child they “hated Christmas,” and said those remarks plus the social posts showed the teacher could not separate personal views from classroom interactions.

Brad Runahan, a resident of Shrewsbury Township, said he and many others felt trust had been violated and urged parents to demand different staff assignments if they objected. “Those two are being protected by the union. The union is standing by them and not our kids,” he said. April Kastenot, another speaker, said she had cried in a school parking lot after seeing police outside her child's school and that she no longer felt safe until the district addressed the matter.

Scott Dressler, who identified himself as a former public-school employee, told the board he had been given screenshots and urged Superintendent Dr. Bryson to terminate the employees. “How could any student go to this school knowing publicly what these faculty members have said and have confidence that they could confide in those faculty members?” Dressler asked.

Board response and limits: President Henkel read a statement condemning the assassination and the “assassination culture” surrounding it and said several district students are “traumatized” and “confused” by responses that condone the killing. The board repeatedly emphasized that personnel matters are handled under district policy and therefore are not discussable in detail in public board meetings. “We’re not at liberty to speak about personnel matters,” one board member said, and urged parents to engage in the policy review process.

Next steps: Board members said the superintendent and administrators were already discussing ways to support students who are distressed. Multiple board members encouraged residents to review and weigh in on district policies during the upcoming policy cycle, and to use formal complaint routes for personnel concerns so the administration can investigate.

No formal personnel action was announced during the meeting; the board did approve an educative directive reminding the community that personnel issues are handled administratively and solicited more community participation in policy reviews.