Lincoln County, OR. — A teacher, Trent Adams, at Taft 7-12 in Lincoln City became the subject of an investigation by the Lincoln County School District (LCSD) after he posted a comment online justifying the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The comment was posted as a response to a post on Facebook made by another teacher in the Lincoln County School District and member of the community. The original post is not included in full in consideration of the poster. The original post referenced Kirk saying “The shootings that happened today are troublesome. I may not agree with Charlie Kirk but he didn’t deserve to die.” In response to this comment Mr. Adams wrote “He did deserve to die, he was a fascist”, as shown below in a screen shot of the comment. This comment was visible to members of the public including teachers, and students who were friends with the original poster.
LCSD has multiple policies addressing staff conduct, including a policy specifically on social media use. The social media policy states:
“Staff members, while on duty and off duty, will treat fellow employees, students and the public with respect while posting on social media websites, etc., in order to prevent substantial disruption in school.”
“Staff actions on social media websites, public websites and blogs, while on or off duty, which disrupt the school environment, are subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. A “disruption” for purposes of this policy includes but is not limited to: one or more parent threatens to remove their children from a particular class or particular school; actual withdrawal of a student or students from a particular class or particular school; and/or a threatened or actual negative impact on the learning environment.”
The LCSD policy for Standards for Competent and Ethical Performance of Oregon Educators states:
“The teacher or administrator demonstrates a commitment to: 1. Recognize the worth and dignity of all persons and respect for each individual;”
“The competent educator is aware of the ways the community identifies with the school, as well as community needs and ways the school program is designed to meet these needs.”
” The competent teacher demonstrates: Skill in communicating with students, staff, parents and other patrons. Skill in reconciling conflict.”
Right Now Oregon (RNO) reached out to the District to see if they were aware of the issue and what their response was, or would be according to policy. The District replied in writing and reported that they were aware of the incident and that it was under investigation. When asked “[w]hat would the district prescribe as the appropriate disciplinary action in response to this type of incident?” the district responded that “[i]n any instance of a founded policy violation, employees are subject to directives and discipline up to and including termination.” The district also stated that “any conclusions made about personnel would not be released by the District.”
RNO asked if there have been any other incidents of this nature that have been reported and the district stated “[t]his incident has been reported. The District reminded all staff of their responsibilities as public employees last week.” LCSD declined to provide any further comment.
Mr. Adam’s comment was circulated online among members of the community, some of who expressed substantial frustration and disappointment. A statement was published by the Lincoln County Republican Party via their Facebook account addressing the incident.
We have been contacted through several channels by parents and community members to make a public statement about a comment made by a Taft HS teacher, Trent Adams:
Reports that an educator in the Lincoln County School District celebrated Charlie Kirk’s death are beyond unacceptable. This is not just poor judgment — it’s a disgrace, and it has no place in our schools.
Our teachers should be instilling respect, discipline, and love of country. Not hatred. Not political bias. And certainly not cheering political violence.
Parents, taxpayers, and voters — we must stand up. Contact the school board. Demand accountability. Make your voices heard. If educators cannot rise above their personal politics, they do not belong in the classroom. Period.
Charlie Kirk dedicated his life to faith, freedom, and conservative values. Disagree with him if you want — but celebrating his death crosses a line that should unite us all in outrage.
We will not tolerate political violence being celebrated. We will not allow our schools to be poisoned by this kind of hatred.
It’s time to speak up, to get involved, and to fight for the integrity of our schools and the future of our children.
Stand strong. Stand together. America is watching.
Enough is enough.RNO contacted the Lincoln County Democratic Party and they issued the statement below.
The Lincoln County Democratic Party vehemently opposes all acts of violence and messages that approve or promote violence in any form. We condemn the murder of Charlie Kirk and call for renewed unity around the values of peace and democracy that Americans have always shared.
Mary Infante
Chair
This is one of many incidents of controversy across the country surrounding statements made by public figures and persons employed in publicly funded positions following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The Chair of the Philomath School Board recently came under public criticism for a post on her personal Facebook page which stated in part “I feel deeply sad for his children. I do not mourn him.”
In Springfield, some students protested after a teacher posted “Good” in response to the news of Charlie Kirk’s death. A statement from the Superintendent, as reported by That Oregon Life said “The views expressed in the post do not reflect the values of Thurston High School or Springfield Public Schools. We expect our educators to model care and uphold professional standards, and we are following up on this matter according to district policies.”
Oregon and the country continue to grapple with the fallout from this high profile political assassination, as questions of the lines of protected free speech, professional conduct, adherence to employer policies, and community standards continue to come to the forefront.
Editor’s Note:
RNO could not locate personal contact information for Mr. Adams to reach him for comment as of the publishing of this article, but will accept a statement to be published in full if provided.
About the Author
Get that teacher out of the school system now. He should be fired immediately. Either that, or take your kids out of the school period.