No Indiana teachers lost licenses over Charlie Kirk comments — so far

A month after Indiana Gov. Mike Braun warned Indiana educators could lose their licenses for speech that “celebrates or incites political violence,” no educator licenses appear to have been suspended or revoked on that basis.

Braun joined other Republican governors who targeted public school teachers and state employees over their social media comments about the death of Charlie Kirk. The conservative activist was shot and killed Sept. 10 during an event in Utah.

Braun said “there have been some terrible things shared, particularly across social media” and that Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner has the authority to rescind a teacher’s license over the comments.  

As of Tuesday morning, the Indiana Department of Education’s Licensing Verification & Information System database includes only one revocation — for an unrelated criminal conviction — since Braun’s statement.

The Indiana State Teachers Association told WFYI in an email on Oct. 17 that it is not aware of an instance where a member of the union has lost their license or had that license threatened with revocation on that basis.

But the education department did not say whether it was currently reviewing any licenses for that reason.

“Because any action taken against a teacher’s license is ultimately a legal proceeding, IDOE does not comment on open investigations or during the pendency of administrative proceedings,” said Courtney Bearsch, chief communication officer, in an email to WFYI.

Under Indiana law, Bearsch said that Jenner “may recommend temporary suspension or permanent revocation of an educator license” for immorality, misconduct in office, incompetency, or willful neglect of duty. The department has a formal process to review complaints and investigates whether the findings meet legal standards.

“If the facts are sufficient to satisfy statute, a formal complaint is then filed with the Office of Administrative Law Proceedings (OALP), initiating the administrative process. Under state statute, OALP serves as the final administrative authority in issuing an order on the educator’s license,” Bearsch said.

Rokita’s ‘Eyes’ portal may share more submissions but stops short of further actions

Attorney General Todd Rokita also said his office would examine evidence of statements made by educators that “celebrate or rationalize the assassination of Charlie Kirk” submitted by the public to his office’s Eyes on Education portal. 

Rokita’s office published social media posts from 34 school and university employees, including licensed teachers, in a section marked for submissions related to Charlie Kirk. After publishing those submissions, Rokita shared several over his social media in September, suggesting that concerned parents could contact the school’s administrator or attend the next school board meeting.

In late September, Rokita sent a memo to school superintendents and university administrators that included guidance explaining “what authority schools have to terminate or discipline teachers for speech related to the assassination Charlie Kirk and any similar situations,” it said.

The memo was a response to schools that responded to complaints about teachers by saying the First Amendment prevented them from firing or disciplining educators.

“In many if not most cases, those schools are wrong,” Rokita argued.

WFYI reached out by email to several public school superintendents and licensed teachers whose names and social media posts have been published on the portal. One teacher said responding would jeopardize their job. Two superintendents said they handled the incidents in question in accordance with the law and that they would not comment on personnel matters. The rest of the teachers and administrators contacted by WFYI did not respond.

“I am not aware of any action taken by the Indiana Department of Education regarding licensure,” said Laura Hammack, a superintendent at Beech Grove City Schools. She said neither the department nor the attorney general’s office had contacted the district about licenses.

The attorney general’s office told WFYI it doesn’t remove submissions from the Eyes on Education portal, and that it is reviewing additional submissions it will publish after the office verifies them.

“The Office of the Attorney General does not evaluate submissions for possible legal violations or investigate submissions beyond verifying submissions’ authenticity. By allowing these submissions to be shared publicly, the portal helps inform parents and voters about what is happening in Indiana classrooms,” said an office spokesperson in an email.

Contact WFYI data journalist Zak Cassel at zcassel@wfyi.org.