Union sues Texas education agency over teacher investigations

The Texas American Federation of Teachers filed a federal suit saying the Texas Education Agency improperly pushed investigations of educators' social media posts after Charlie Kirk's killing; the union asked a court to stop the probes.

The Texas American Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Austin against the Texas Education Agency and Commissioner Mike Morath. The union says the agency directed school districts to document online comments after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and that this has led to widespread investigations of educators. The union represents about 66,000 public school employees and argues the agency's guidance is overly broad and vague. The agency declined to comment on the pending legal matter. Key facts: - The complaint was filed in federal court by the Texas AFT and names the Texas Education Agency and Commissioner Mike Morath as defendants. - Morath sent a Sept. 12 letter saying social media posts could violate the educators' code of ethics and that each instance would be investigated; the agency has received more than 350 complaints related to posts about Kirk's death. - The suit cites four unnamed teachers who were investigated after posting critical comments; it says one Houston-area teacher was fired, three San Antonio-area teachers remain under investigation, and the union asks the court to block the probes and declare the policy unconstitutional. Summary: The union says the investigations have chilled educators' speech and asks a federal court to stop the probes and require corrective guidance. The Texas Education Agency declined to comment on outstanding legal matters. Undetermined at this time.