A judge June 17 recommended embattled teacher Matt Theobald keep his job with Martin County schools despite the school district’s efforts to fire him over comments he made about the late Charlie Kirk.
In a Facebook post following the death of the conservative icon, who led the group Turning Point USA, Theobald called Kirk a “racist, misogynistic, fear-mongering, xenophobic neo-Nazi.”
Administrative Law Judge Jodi-Ann Livingstone also recommended Theobald receive back pay and benefits for the time he was suspended. Still, she called his comments “offensive, disrespectful and made in poor taste, given that the remarks concerned an individual who had recently been killed.”
Here are five facts about the judge’s decision and what’s next for Theobald:
● Theobald might seek damages from the school district given the judge’s recommendation, his attorney Martin Powell told TCPalm. In similar situations, other public employees have done so and won.
● The Martin County School Board has the final say over whether Theobald keeps his job. A date for the School Board to consider the matter has yet to be set.
● A school district spokesperson said only that Livingstone’s recommendation would be “formally reviewed and considered” at an upcoming meeting.
● Theobald celebrated the judge’s recommendation in Orlando with union colleagues at a Florida Education Association training session, where they cheered, laughed and cried, he said.
● “Given Mr. Theobald’s unblemished employment record, the facts of this case do not justify disregarding the progressive discipline provisions of the (collective bargaining agreement) or imposing the ultimate sanction of termination,” Livingstone wrote in her recommendation.
Keith Burbank is a watchdog reporter for TCPalm, covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida judge sides with teacher over Charlie Kirk comments
Reporting by Keith Burbank, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Keith Burbank, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
