Michelle Mickens, a former teacher from Georgia, has reached a settlement with the Oglethorpe County School District. Mickens had filed a lawsuit claiming unfair punishment for comments she made on her Facebook page related to Charlie Kirk, the deceased founder of Turning Point USA. The settlement was reached on Wednesday.
In October, Mickens’ lawsuit was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) after she was put on indefinite leave over controversial remarks about Kirk’s assassination. Mickens had posted quotes on her private Facebook page that were seen as contentious following Kirk’s death in September.
Initially, Mickens commented, “I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” echoing Charlie Kirk’s views. Additional Facebook exchanges saw Mickens label Kirk a “horrible person” and suggest that the world was safer without him, sparking heated disagreements.
“While I’m sad that we live in a country where gun violence is an epidemic, the world is a bit safer without him. I didn’t respect him at all, and he’s part of the hatred and vitriolic language we hear so much now,” Mickens stated in her discussions.
The situation escalated when a former classmate shared Mickens’ post on X (formerly Twitter), leading to administrative actions. Although initially advised to delete the post and apologize, Mickens was later asked to stay home, losing access to her school email.
According to records from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mickens received $270,420 for emotional distress and $17,080 for legal costs as part of the settlement. Mickens agreed not to seek further employment within the district.
SPLC senior supervising attorney Sam Boyd commented on the settlement, highlighting the court’s recognition of public school employees’ constitutional rights to free speech.
In the wake of Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, other educators faced suspensions or terminations due to social media posts. Some have since returned to their roles following legal proceedings.
Lindsay Kornick, an associate editor for Fox News Digital, is seeking story tips at [email protected] and Twitter: @lmkornick.
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