A former Georgia teacher has reached a settlement of approximately $270,420 with the Oglethorpe County School District following a dispute over social media posts she made about the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. The district also agreed to pay $17,080 in legal fees to Michelle Mickens.
Mickens was placed on indefinite leave in September 2025 after her private Facebook posts, made shortly after Kirk's death, were shared publicly. In the posts, Mickens stated that while she did not condone violence, the world was "safer" without Kirk, whom she described as a "fascist full of hate."
Mickens' initial post included a quote attributed to Kirk: "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."
Following the exchange, Mickens elaborated on her views, writing, "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. I pray that without him, people can be kinder and more tolerant to one another."
After a former classmate shared the comments on X, Mickens was called to her school's office. Initially, she was reportedly advised to delete the post and issue an apology. However, she was subsequently asked to stay home, and her access to school emails was revoked. The lawsuit was filed in October 2025 by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of Mickens.
The settlement also stipulates that Mickens will not seek future employment within the Oglethorpe County School District. In a press release following the settlement, Sam Boyd, a senior supervising attorney for the SPLC, stated, "We are pleased to reach a mutually amicable settlement of this matter. As courts across the country have recognized in other cases involving firings over comments about Charlie Kirk, and many other topics, ‘public school employees, including teachers, have a constitutionally protected right to free speech.’"
In the days following Kirk's assassination at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, several educators faced suspension or termination for their social media remarks. Some teachers have since been reinstated after making controversial statements or filing lawsuits.