A former Bayfield High School math teacher says he was fired in mid-September for a social media post and comments he made following the death of political activist Charlie Kirk.
Chris Ricci said he published an Instagram post the night of Kirk’s shooting on Sept. 10 and commented about Kirk the next day in one of his classes.
Ricci believes he was fired for the post and for a related exchange he had in the classroom. He was told by the school district that the cause was an “incident in class,” but was not given any further details or clarification.
The Bayfield School District declined to comment on Ricci’s description of events or the circumstances surrounding his termination. District spokesperson Bob Bonnar said the terms and conditions of Ricci’s termination prevent the district from speaking on the matter.
“(We) truly wish that we could share a more accurate appraisal of the situation,” Bonnar told The Durango Herald.
Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Utah Valley University event. The night of the shooting, Ricci published an Instagram post that included a video clip of Kirk speaking about affirmative action, in which Kirk said that Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson “do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously” and “(stole) a white person’s slot.”
Ricci wrote a message across the video reading, “It’s not opinion and belief if it’s lies. He’s only talking (expletive) to make a buck and he did for a while.”
The next day, Ricci was called in for a meeting with Bayfield High School Principal Jason Wayman and Vice Principal Andy Duffy. Ricci called the meeting an “interrogation.”
Ricci said Wayman brought up the Instagram post, and asked him if he thought Kirk “deserved to die,” and if he thought Kirk was racist.
Wayman reportedly said parents and community members had sent the post to the school and called for Ricci’s termination.
Wayman also asked Ricci about a conversation that occurred in Ricci’s freshman math class that morning.
According to Ricci, his ninth grade students had begun discussing the events of Sept. 10 in class on the morning of Sept. 11, and Ricci was asked his thoughts. He said he initially avoided the topic, but finally responded when a student said Kirk “speaks for all of us.”
“He does not speak for African Americans,” Ricci told students, referencing the comments Kirk made about Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The conversation ended there, Ricci said.
Ricci was put on leave several days after the meeting with Wayman and Duffy, and fired several days after that.
Ricci said the officials told him the termination was not related to the Instagram post, despite them mentioning it in the meeting.
“(During the meeting), they were like, ‘This Instagram post is causing a stir, and you can't share, basically, your opinion on things with students,’” Ricci told the Herald.
“In my second full year of teaching, I’m still learning what parts of the world have to be hidden from the students,” Ricci said. “Like, what truth am I not allowed to tell my students?”
Ricci said the Bayfield School District “Staff Handbook” includes policies surrounding social media use, but that he doesn’t feel he violated those policies.
The section of the handbook on social media use recommends staff “ensure all content associated with their social media accounts are consistent with their role as public school/state employees.”
The section further states that staff members are expected to present themselves on social media with the same professional conduct asked of them in any other public space, and that violation of the public conduct policy may lead to disciplinary action, including termination. What does and does not constitute professional conduct on social media or in public is not explicitly described.
The handbook also includes regulations on employee conduct and classroom management and instruction.
The employee conduct section describes that staff, as representatives of the district and role models for students, must “demonstrate and uphold high professional, ethical and moral standards ... conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with the educational mission of the district and must maintain professional boundaries with students at all times in accordance with this policy’s accompanying regulation.”
Employees nationwide have reported losing their jobs or having them impacted after making comments in the wake of Kirk’s death.
Former Bayfield School Board member Molly Orendorff resigned in September, shortly after posting several comments on Facebook about Kirk. Attempts to contact Orendorff were not immediately successful Tuesday.
Lindi New, a science teacher at Montezuma-Cortez High School, also recently came under fire for comments she made in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination. In a Facebook post, Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 School District called her comments “vile.”
epond@durangoherald.com
