Taft High teacher should not be suspended for private social media comments

To the editor:

I’m writing to express deep concern over the suspension of Trent Adams, a history teacher at Taft High School.

Trent Adams is exactly the kind of educator our students, and our democracy, need right now.

He engages students in the Constitution. He distributes pocket versions and encourages them to read it. That matters. It matters even more when public education is under increasing pressure to avoid the hard conversations that create engaged, informed citizens.

According to multiple sources, Adams was suspended not for anything said in the classroom or on school time, but for a Facebook comment where he called Charlie Kirk a fascist and made commentary on his death. It was not sent using school resources. A third party made it public.

This was private speech. Someone else chose to publicize it. The disruption was not caused by Trent Adams, it was caused by the people who screenshotted and shared a private citizens opinion.

Public schools are funded by taxpayer money. That means they are accountable not just for academic outcomes, but for upholding the constitutional principles that define our democracy. If free speech doesn’t live in our public institutions, especially among the educators who teach the Bill of Rights, then where does it live?

I expect our schools to be first in demonstrating our constitutional freedoms, not last.

Punishing a teacher for private speech sets a dangerous precedent. It chills honest civic discourse and weaponizes outrage against educators who encourage critical thinking.

Trent Adams is now facing not only administrative consequences but a death threat. We are not just talking about a policy issue, we’re talking about basic safety, speech rights, and professional integrity.

Please correct this mistake. Reinstate Trent Adams and make clear that Lincoln County School District supports both the Constitution he teaches and the teachers who dare to care.

   — Laura Butler/Lincoln City