South Bend Community School Corp. responds to teacher comments about Charlie Kirk's death, cites First Amendment

"First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Mr. Kirk and let us be clear that we condemn the violent actions causing Mr. Kirk's death," SBCSC said in an email sent to media on Saturday, Sept. 13. "There is no excuse or justification for such actions."

SBCSC adds that because the district is a public employer, it is governed by the United States Constitution, which "provides a fundamental right of freedom of speech," and SBCSC's regulation of that speech is limited.

The district did not say what teacher made the comments or what those comments were.

The First Amendment generally offers protection against governmental punishment for things someone says, outside of some exceptions established by law and court precedent. A private school or business has more leeway to regulate employee speech than a public school or other governmental entity.