Hawaii teacher disciplined over Constitution lesson mentioning Charlie Kirk
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A Hawaii middle school history teacher was disciplined by school officials after a Constitution Day lesson that discussed Charlie Kirk, a legal group says.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) sent a warning letter to the Hawaii Department of Education on October 16, alleging that the teacher’s free speech rights were violated.
The letter, which redacted the names of the teacher, the school and administrators, said the incident occurred Sept. 17 while the teacher was teaching the Bill of Rights as part of a federally mandated Constitution Day lesson. During class discussion, the teacher explained that “hate speech” was protected under the Constitution, prompting a student to state that Kirk was “killed for his speech,” a reference to the Sept. 10 killing.
The teacher then asked the students to name other people who were killed because of their speech. Students identified Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Abraham Lincoln. ACLJ.
Another student stated that someone tried to assassinate President Donald Trump because of his speech, while another student implied that such an action was acceptable.
PROFESSOR FIGHTS DISMISSAL OF CHARLIE KIRK FOR CONSIDERED A ‘NAZI’ LEGAL PROFIT, WINS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION DEBATE
President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
The teacher immediately corrected the student, telling the class that calls for death were not protected speech and that violence was never an acceptable response to disagreement, according to the letter.
During his next class, another student brought up Kirk’s murder again, and the teacher admitted that he was shot because of his speech.
ACLJ maintains that the teacher expressed no political views and remained neutral throughout the discussion. But later that day he was called into a meeting with the vice principal, who said the discussion about Kirk was too “controversial” for the class.
A parent reportedly complained about the conversation, and the assistant principal told the teacher he needed to “shut down” further discussion of controversial topics. A week later, he sent a warning email warning that he would face discipline if he did not comply.
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Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was killed while speaking on the Utah campus on September 10, 2025. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The ACLJ said the guideline violated state education policy, which allows students to debate topics that “create opposing viewpoints” as a “normal part of the learning process.” The group also argued that the teacher had included the Bill of Rights lesson in her curriculum, so parents were aware of it in advance.
In a subsequent meeting with the assistant principal and principal, the teacher objected to the memo and was allegedly told that he could only discuss the First Amendment in the context of America’s founding, not current events.
The principal said the note would be placed in his file, but denied it was punitive and said it would give administrators “a leg to stand on” if they decided to discipline him in the future.
A history teacher in Hawaii was allegedly disciplined for holding a class discussion on free speech on Constitution Day in which students discussed Charlie Kirk. (Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images)
FLORIDA TEACHER SAYS IMAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM CLASSROOM, FEELING TARGETED, WON’T FIGHT WITH THE ZONE
The ACLJ argues that the school violated the teacher’s First Amendment rights and engaged in viewpoint discrimination by targeting him while allowing other teachers to relate constitutional issues to modern precedents.
The group demanded that the note be removed from the teacher’s file immediately and assured him that further discipline or advocacy for him in the matter would not occur.
FLORIDA TEACHER SAYS IMAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM CLASSROOM, FEELING TARGETED, WON’T FIGHT WITH THE ZONE
It also seeks written confirmation that teachers will not be forced to silence students during sanctioned lessons and that instruction on constitutional rights will not be viewed as “controversial.”
ACLJ told Fox News Digital that it is pushing back the original Oct. 23 deadline for the Hawaii Department of Education to respond to Nov. 6 before deciding whether to file a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights alleging teacher civil rights were violated and officials interfered with federally mandated Constitution Day classes.
The Hawaii Department of Education did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was killed during an argument on the Utah campus on September 10.
The death of the conservative phenomenon sparked a wave of campus activism focused on free speech.
