Free Speech Victory for Albemarle Teacher!
The Founding Freedoms Law Center just scored another victory for a Virginia public school teacher, this time in Albemarle County. After veteran teacher, Michelle Karpovich, joined some of her students to celebrate President Trump’s election victory during non-instructional time, school administrators investigated her and threatened disciplinary action. Ms. Karpovich felt sure she would be fired. But then she reached out to our attorneys, who immediately sent a demand letter to school officials defending her constitutional right to free speech. Soon after, the school backed down and dropped their investigation.
So what did Ms. Karpovich do to earn the ire of the administration? In a school district that has become very woke, she dared to raise a glass of sweet tea, as a toast to President-elect Donald Trump, with some of her students who came to her asking how they could celebrate the prior day’s election outcome. Ms. Karpovich has been the faculty advisor for the Young Conservatives club for over a decade, so it was only natural for students to come to her after a major presidential election and express excitement about the results.
To Ms. Karpovich, who knew she had done nothing wrong, it very much seemed as though the administration was looking for a way to go after her because not only is she one of the few conservatives in the school, but she has not been afraid to hide who she is. School officials tried to claim she had inappropriate conversations about alcohol with minors – all because she mentioned how she had seen conservative commentators raising a glass of wine or scotch after Trump’s victory in the same sentence where she told her students they couldn’t do that, but that they could raise a cup of sweet tea instead. They also tried to claim she had violated the district’s political activities policy, even though all she did was celebrate the recent elections with students initiating the activity.
We doubt any such investigation would have occurred had Ms. Karpovich celebrated a victory of the other presidential candidate. The crucial issue here, though, is that every teacher – regardless of political affiliation – has constitutional rights, which are not given up when they enter the school building. While the school district seemed poised to crush her for expressing support for the incoming President, it took our attorneys stepping in to remind it of its legal duties and to protect her constitutional rights. Thankfully, Albemarle school administrators heeded our warnings and did the right thing.
If you or someone you know are experiencing infringement of your rights, such as your free speech or religious exercise, don’t hesitate to reach out to our attorneys any time at www.foundingfreedomslaw.org.