Oregon students stage walkout after teacher’s post celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder

Students at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, staged a walkout Wednesday in response to a teacher’s post celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk.

Bobby Nove, a drama teacher, shared a link to a news article about Kirk’s assassination on Facebook and added the caption, “Good,” according to KEZI 9 News.

The post struck a nerve with students, especially because a shooting occurred at Thurston High School in 1998, killing two students and wounding 25 others, the outlet reported.

“Believing that murder is OK is not OK,” Rowan Taylor, one of the students who participated in the walk out, told KEZI 9 News. “And we strongly believe that we need to stand up against it and... there's no place for that here.” If he’s okay with this murder, it… brings up the question, what other ones is he okay with?”

Many students held signs or American flags. A picture on That Oregon Life showed three young women around a sign that read, “Red or blue, murder is never okay!”

After Nove’s post was discovered and shared among students and their parents, the school’s administration began to receive complaints.

Springfield resident Carly Brunscher, the older sister of a Thurston High School student, sent a letter of complaint to the district. In the letter, she called the post “incredibly terrifying,” asking for transparency, accountability, and assurance that teachers would not normalize violence.

“We agree that this is concerning,” Principal Kimberlee Pelster wrote in an email, according to KEZI 9 News. “As a community with a unique connection to the impact of violence, we stand firm that violence is never the answer. We expect our educators to model caring. This does not reflect our values as a Thurston community.”

At this time, Nove is still employed by the school.

“The views expressed in the post do not reflect the values of Springfield Public Schools or Thurston High School,” Springfield Public Schools said in a statement, according to KEZI 9 News. “As a public school district, we’re committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for all students, staff, and families. We expect our educators to model care and uphold professional standards. While we cannot comment on individual personnel actions, know that we are taking this matter seriously and are following up according to district policies.”