A Lee County educator-turned-celebrity is suing Lee County Schools Superintendent Denise Carlin after he was disciplined over a social media comment following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Morgan Wright, 51, who has taught physical education at Cape Coral’s Diplomat Elementary School, on Oct. 31 filed a 16-page lawsuit against Carlin through his attorney, Mark Herdman.
The complaint claims Carlin violated Wright’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights “to engage in free speech.”
According to the lawsuit, Wright has a private Facebook account, where friends and acquaintances may “follow” him, “but is not accessible to all internet users.” The complaint further says the account is not connected to Wright’s work and is “a purely private account.”
About Sept. 10, the suit says, Wright commented on another individual’s Facebook post referencing Kirk’s death, stating, “Charlie Kirk: ‘It’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment’ he died doing what he loved, I’ll make sure to send thoughts and prayers because that’s really been helpful for all the kids shot in schools.”
The comment referenced Kirk’s assassination and past remarks. The lawsuit says Wright’s post does not condone Kirk’s killing, “nor does it call for further violence.”
A right-wing political activist, Kirk was shot and killed Sept. 10 during a campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
“Political speech on matters of public interest and concern lies at the core of the First Amendment,” Wright’s complaint reads in part, adding that his comment is not excluded from the First Amendment, which guarantees the freedom of speech, the press, religion and peaceful assembly. The Fourteenth Amendment, also referenced in the suit, guarantees due process.
The complaint says the social media post “merely stated a political opinion,” did not threaten anyone and is unrelated to school functions.
According to the suit, on Sept. 25, Lee County School District officials met with Wright. On Oct. 6, Carlin sent a letter informing Wright of his employment suspension. The complaint says Carlin’s email indicated Wright would be suspended for 10 days and reassigned from his post at Diplomat Elementary School to a post that works with students with disabilities at River Hall Elementary School.
The lawsuit says River Hall Elementary is a 20-mile drive for Wright.
Wright’s lawsuit lists two counts against Carlin — a First Amendment violation through retaliation and a First Amendment violation through content and viewpoint discrimination.
The lawsuit seeks Wright’s reinstatement at Diplomat Elementary School, as well as preventing Carlin or the School District from disciplining Wright in the future for posting the comment about Kirk.
Wright, a retired U.S. Army first lieutenant and a Golden Apple Award-winning educator, made a fifth run at “American Ninja Warrior” this year after he suffered a near-fatal heart attack in 2022.
Wright is one of at least two federal lawsuits filed as of Nov. 5.
Brooke Wold, 36, an ESE Varying Exceptionalities teacher at Lemuel Teal Middle School, has worked in the district since 2015. Her attorney, Mark Herdman, filed a 17-page lawsuit on Oct. 31.
“Due to the ongoing litigation, it is inappropriate for us to comment,” Rob Spicker, spokesperson for the Lee County School District, wrote in a Nov. 5 emailed statement.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. For news tips or other entertainment-related matters, call him at 239-335-0368 or email him atcrunnells@gannett.com. Also connect on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lee County teacher sues district after reassignment over Charlie Kirk comment
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez and Charles Runnells, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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