The assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has revealed a disturbing truth about what is being tolerated in America’s education system. Kirk, who was gunned down on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University, was murdered as he stood holding a microphone, attempting to engage in respectful dialogue with a student. His killing was not only an attack on one man but a direct strike at the principles of free speech and open debate.
In the aftermath, instead of universal condemnation of political violence, there have been educators who openly rejoiced. One of the most glaring examples came from Iowa, where Oskaloosa High School art teacher Matthew Kargol posted “1 Nazi down” on Facebook the very day after Kirk’s murder. His celebration of assassination was as grotesque as it was revealing.
The Oskaloosa school board voted unanimously to terminate Kargol last week, a decision Superintendent Mike Fisher recommended after the post triggered outrage across the community. “I’m not a person on social media. But many people are and they were sharing screenshots and our comms director, he was all over it, and we were seeing all the traffic and the things that were going on. So we knew we had to get involved,” Fisher explained. The superintendent later added, “This has created a substantial material disruption to our learning environment the last 12 hours.”
That disruption was not small. The district said it received more than 1,200 phone calls in reaction to Kargol’s comment, with parents and community members demanding action. For families, the very idea that a teacher charged with shaping young minds could celebrate a political assassination was unacceptable.
Yet Kargol has now filed a lawsuit against Fisher and the district, claiming his Facebook post amounted to nothing more than “rhetorical hyperbole.” His legal filing argues the comment was made outside of work hours, not in the classroom, and that it did not incite violence or directly target anyone in the school. He further claims Fisher’s decision was based on “personal beliefs” rather than evidence of real disruption.
But context matters. Kargol’s post came immediately after Kirk’s murder — a murder that capped years of false labels thrown at conservative leaders. Kirk had long been smeared by left-wing voices as a “fascist” and “Nazi,” the same rhetoric Kargol echoed. That drumbeat of slander and demonization helped fuel the very radical anger that ultimately led to Kirk’s death.
Kargol is not alone. Across the country, there have been other teachers and educators who expressed disturbing glee over the assassination. Their reactions confirm what Kirk himself had been warning about for years: the left-wing extremism baked into parts of the American education system. Instead of fostering tolerance and healthy debate, too many classrooms have become breeding grounds for ideological hostility.
The public reaction has been swift. Parents and taxpayers have made it clear that individuals entrusted with the education of children should not be people who cheer when a man is murdered for his political beliefs. This is not a partisan matter but a question of basic decency. If an educator believes assassination is justified simply because someone holds different views, that person has no business in a classroom.
For millions of Americans, the response to Kirk’s murder has been a watershed moment — a mask-off moment that exposes how far some have drifted from the fundamental values of respect, dialogue, and human dignity. It is a reminder that political violence never stays confined to the fringes once it is excused, normalized, or celebrated. And when those charged with guiding the next generation embrace such hatred, it raises urgent questions about what kind of society we are cultivating.
Charlie Kirk, now remembered as a martyr for free speech, spent years warning that ideological indoctrination and unchecked extremism in education were undermining America’s future. Ironically, the actions of teachers like Kargol have proven him right. For conservatives, this moment is more than an isolated scandal — it is a rallying cry to demand accountability, protect free speech, and ensure that our schools remain places where young people learn respect for differing views rather than contempt.
The issue now sits before the courts, but the verdict from the American people is already clear: celebration of murder has no place in our classrooms, no matter the excuse.
