Rhode Island students start Turning Point chapter after teacher incident

Students at the Rhode Island high school a teacher mocked after Charlie Kirk’s assassination are starting a Turning Point USA chapter to promote conservative values ​​and free expression on campus.

“What personally inspired me to start this Turning Point episode was that the teacher at our school made a TikTok after the death of Charlie Kirk saying she had no remorse about him and what a hateful person he was,” Brayden Ryan, vice president of the Turning Point USA chapter at Barrington High School in Rhode Island, said in an interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

Shortly after Kirk’s public assassination at Utah Valley University on September 10 during his American Comeback Tour, social studies teacher Benjamin Fillo posted a video online saying Kirk “hates the LGBTQ community” and “hates women’s rights.”

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Fillo, who was placed on administrative leave after the video sharing, said in a video that he thought Kirk “proved how tough he was with his words… What nonsense. Look what happens… Goodbye Charlie!”

When conservative activist and mother Nicole Solas filed a public records request for a review of Fillo’s curriculum, including handouts, assignments, videos, links, resources, guides, worksheets, workbooks, prompts and emails, Barrington Public Schools said it would charge her $117,132 to collect all the materials. Solas is a mother who lives in a different school district and whose children attend a private school because the National Education Association of Rhode Island (NEARI) sued her for submitting public records requests four years ago.

Ryan, a freshman, said starting the major was “tough” due to the area’s political demographics, but he and other students continued to move forward.

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Barrington Public Schools recently made headlines after announcing it would charge a mother $117,132 to review Fillo’s curriculum; This includes handouts, assignments, videos, links, resources, guides, worksheets, workbooks, and referrals and emails. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images))

“I think we need to give other students, other students, other conservative students a free and safe space to talk about their own personal values, like their religious beliefs and their political beliefs,” Ryan said.

Caleb Kaplan, president of Turning Point’s US division, told Fox News Digital that some support his efforts, while others are campaigning to reinstate Fillo.

“Out of respect, I won’t name any names, but they are campaigning or petitioning to reinstate the teacher we talked about,” Kaplan said.

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Charlie Kirk speaks before he is assassinated during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Desert News via AP)

Kaplan, himself a freshman, said the group tried to handle the pushback respectfully.

“We do not reward hate with hate,” Kaplan said. “All we’re doing is pushing harder and trying to recruit more people to participate.”

“Barrington High School students are always welcomed and encouraged to pursue new clubs that reflect their interests,” Barrington School District spokesperson Sarah Dell told Fox News Digital. “As with all proposed student organizations, there is a process outlined in our student activities protocol. The group of students who have expressed interest in forming a Student Milestone USA chapter has been provided with this information. This is one of approximately a dozen proposed new student clubs currently going through the same process.”

Fox News Digital has also reached out to Fillo for comment.