BUZZ
Key Takeaways
- Katie Allen, a Kansas Department of Education employee, was fired for commenting 'well deserved' in response to the murder of conservative speaker Charlie Kirk on Facebook.
- Despite apologizing for her comment, which she claimed did not reflect her beliefs, Allen lost her job due to significant backlash.
- Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson condemned Allen's remarks, asserting that anyone who believes someone deserves to die should not hold a position in state education.
A Kansas Department of Education employee was recently fired after she called conservative speaker Charlie Kirk’s assassination “well deserved.”
Katie Allen, who was a KSDE research analyst, apologized for the comment after facing immense backlash, but still lost her job, The Mercury reported.
A KSDE spokesperson confirmed that Allen is no longer employed by the department, but did not provide a reason for her termination.
Allen was responding on Facebook to a repost by school board candidate Courtney Jane Hochman last week.
The shared post, originally from People magazine, announced Kirk’s murder. It featured a quote from Kirk stating that “a cost of … some gun deaths every single year” is worth it “so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”
Allen simply wrote “well deserved” in the comments. Libs of TikTok posted a photo of the comment on X before Allen deleted it.
She later apologized for the comment, The Mercury reported.
“Late this afternoon I was walking to my car and scrolling Facebook,” she wrote in a statement, adding “and then [in] an emotional moment I commented on a post related to a recent shooting.”
“I looked back at the post when I got to my car I quickly realized I didn’t intend the meaning the two words I wrote had so I deleted my comment. Too late — it only took moments for social media users to screen grab my words and quickly spread them,” she stated.
She also stated that her comment does not reflect who she is, which is why she deleted it so quickly.
“Like many of you, I am deeply worried about the violence and discontent happening in America today and will continue to advocate for common sense laws that keep our kids a community safe. When I make a mistake, I own it and promise to do better,” she stated.
She later added that she understands the “frustration” of those continuing to incite violence against her, and she “will keep the documentation to share with law enforcement.”
Still, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and Sen. Brad Starnes urged Allen to step down over the comment.
“Charlie Kirk was murdered for sharing his faith and expressing his political views,” Masterson said.
“Katie Allen’s statement that he deserved to die is absolutely reprehensible. Anyone holding such a belief should not be employed by the state of Kansas and has no place making policy decisions for our children,” the senate president said.
“I urge Education Commissioner Dr. Watson to immediately remove Allen from her position at the Kansas Department of Education, and I call on Ms. Allen to resign from the USD 383 school board,” he said.
