A Florida administrative law judge is recommending that state officials drop their case to revoke or suspend the teaching license of a Jacksonville educator who posted about Charlie Kirk's death last year. Judge Garnett Chisenhall found that the Florida Education Practices Commission had not proven its allegations against Hope McMath, a teacher at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, clearing a path — though not a guarantee — for her to keep her credential.
What the Judge Found
Chisenhall concluded that McMath's post did not amount to gross immorality, the standard the state needed to meet to strip her license, according to Action News Jax. In his written recommendation, the judge stated plainly that “the Commission failed to carry its burden of presenting clear and convincing evidence.” The recommendation now heads to the full Florida Education Practices Commission, which will decide whether to accept it.
State agencies follow administrative law judges' recommendations in the vast majority of cases, though the commission is not bound to do so and must still take a formal vote before McMath's case is resolved. The complaint against her was filed by Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas, who sought to revoke or suspend her license over alleged violations of state teaching statutes.
The Posts That Triggered the Investigation
The dispute traces back to September 2025, within days of Charlie Kirk's murder that month, when McMath posted on social media, “Karma's a bitch - and she heard all of your speeches ....” She later deleted the post. McMath also shared an image of author E. Jean Carroll holding the severed head of Donald Trump, according to the same report from Action News Jax.
The post was cited in a letter sent to Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier, along with state education officials and multiple school board members. Duval County Public Schools then removed McMath from the classroom. She had been teaching Advanced Placement Art History part-time at Douglas Anderson, and as Yahoo News reported, her removal took effect in September 2025. McMath previously served as executive director of the Cummer Museum.
Investigators from the school district and the Florida Department of Education did not find any student or faculty member who reported a problem because of the postings, the outlet's report noted. McMath still has a federal lawsuit pending against Duval County Public Schools, several School Board members, and others involved in her removal from the classroom, per the same account.
Part of a Wider Pattern in Florida Schools
McMath's case sits inside a broader wave of disciplinary fights that erupted across Florida after Kirk's death, as officials in multiple counties began scrutinizing teachers' off-duty social media activity. In Lee County, an administrative law judge recommended a complete reversal of the disciplinary action taken against teacher Mariah Roller and awarded her back pay, with Judge Andrew Manko finding that her comments caused only minimal disruption and that her private Facebook post was not unethical, according to The News-Press. That outcome contrasts with former Gateway High School teacher Sarah Seado, whose non-renewable temporary educator's certificate was permanently revoked in April after she resigned and waived her right to a hearing.
Not every case in the wave has ended in a courtroom. Lee County teacher Brooke Wold's federal civil rights lawsuit over her off-duty political speech was dismissed in May after both parties reached a settlement through mediation, the news outlet reported. Beyond Lee County, a Martin County teacher and union official was removed from the classroom and placed in a district-office job pending investigation over a Kirk-related post, while Osceola County was investigating four teachers over similar social media comments, according to the Florida Phoenix.
The Florida Education Association's president said at the time that the commissioner's letter warning teachers about their social media posts sent “a chilling effect throughout the profession.” Officials had not disclosed how many teachers statewide were under investigation, though Fox 35 Orlando reported that schools in several counties were reviewing alleged posts. Separately, Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal previously found that the Duval County School Board violated a different teacher's First Amendment rights by disciplining him over political Facebook posts made around the 2020 election, a precedent noted by legal analysts at LawFla.
For now, McMath's fate rests with the Florida Education Practices Commission, which has not yet indicated when it will vote on Chisenhall's recommendation. Her federal lawsuit against the district and board members remains active and unresolved.
