Overview
- The Kaukauna Area School District Board of Education voted 6-1 on May 27 to terminate social studies teacher Patrick Meyer after more than nine hours of deliberation, most of it in closed session.
- Meyer posted a now-deleted message on X that referenced historical presidential assassins and used the phrase "MAGAA" in reaction to the April 25 White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting.
- The district placed Meyer on administrative leave on April 27 and has said the post created "actual material disruption" to district and school operations, citing violations of board policy.
- Reaction in Kaukauna was sharply divided, with some parents and lawmakers calling for dismissal and some students and alumni defending Meyer, while board member Charles West cast the lone vote against firing on First Amendment grounds.
- Meyer could pursue a legal challenge, a route other employees have taken in similar cases, and the outcome may shape how schools weigh employees' off-duty speech against their duty to maintain a safe learning environment.