Several Maine public school employees are facing calls to resign because of social media posts they made about Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist who was assassinated last week.

Online efforts to dox school employees for their comments, which conservative activists feel make light of Kirk’s death, have led to “significant attention” and, in at least one case in Lincoln, a teacher being placed on leave.

Around the country, more than 30 people, including 21 public school teachers, have been fired or suspended because of alleged comments about Kirk’s death, NPR reports.

A Massachusetts school district placed two teachers on leave over social media posts, and a Rhode Island school did the same because of a Tik Tok video in which a teacher called Kirk a “piece of garbage.”

In Florida, the state’s commissioner of education issued a warning to superintendents and said he would investigate every teacher who engages in “vile, sanctionable” behavior.

A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Education said Monday that per state statute, discipline of educators happens at the district level.

Conservative activists have created and circulated lists of individuals they’re targeting, which include multiple Mainers. Others have taken to social media to highlight individual posts, hoping to catch the attention of employers or popular conservative social media accounts that could amplify their message.

The effort by conservatives represents a contrast to their yearslong criticism of cancel culture by the left and Kirk’s well-known advocacy for free speech and against cancel culture.

Calls have also come from national political figures. Vice President JD Vance encouraged activists to contact employers of people who celebrate Kirk’s death, while Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, called on the U.S. Department of Education to cut off funding to any school that doesn’t take administrative action “to the maximum extent of the law” against any employees who justify or celebrate Kirk’s death.

The Supreme Court has ruled that if a public employee like a teacher is acting in a private capacity but speaking on a matter of public concern they could be protected under law, Steven Collis, a law professor at the University of Texas who studies the First Amendment, told The Associated Press. But he said government employers like school districts can discipline a worker if they think their conduct will interfere with the government’s ability to do its job.

SIGNIFICANT ATTENTION

On Tuesday afternoon, an official with Regional School Unit 67 in Lincoln confirmed that the district is investigating a statement made by a teacher that drew complaints. The teacher has been placed on leave.

Police increased their presence at Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln last week after they learned parents, upset about the statement, planned to converge on the campus.

The department said in a statement that after further investigation, officers determined the issue was not a police matter.

Rosemarie Clark, assistant to the superintendent, said on Tuesday that the calls, emails and voicemails about the incident were constant.

“My phone does not stop ringing,” Clark said.

In a statement on Friday, RSU 67 Superintendent Chris Downing said that teacher’s statement had “received significant attention.” He said that the district does not condone violence of any type.

Online efforts have targeted other Maine public educators; an employee of one southern Maine district was included on a list widely shared on social media by high-profile right-wing figures.

Martin Grimm, superintendent of RSU 21, the district serving Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel, shared in a letter with families Friday afternoon that the district was actively reviewing “a recent, controversial social media post that has received significant attention.”

That appears to refer to a social media post about Charlie Kirk allegedly shared by a district employee.

“I want to reassure you that we are handling this matter with the seriousness and care it deserves,” Grimm said in a Friday newsletter. “While these situations require patience as we ensure a responsible outcome, please know that our work is deliberate and focused on upholding the standards of our community.”

The district did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

In Biddeford, a Sunday email from the district’s teacher union encouraged teachers to remove any political posts on social media, especially those related to Kirk. The message referenced several recent firings of educators elsewhere in the country, and noted that some members of the Biddeford schools community had already been doxxed.

Superintendent Jeremy Ray said the district has received “a handful” of messages about the topic, which he said came from both sides of the political spectrum. Ray said he hasn’t experienced calls targeting a specific employee for firing.