An employee at Grass Lake School District in Antioch has been fired after she reposted comments on social media about having “absolutely no empathy” for Charlie Kirk after his assassination.
Grass Lake School District 36 Superintendent Dr. William Newby sent a letter to families in the district to address a “recent situation” involving a post on social media made by a staff member.
“We understand that this post was shared publicly and has caused hurt, anger, and concern among parents and community members,” Newby said.
“I want to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and affirm that the language and tone of the post were insensitive and do not reflect the values of Grass Lake School District 36,” he said.
The superintendent said the district is a public Pre-K to 8th-grade school serving a diverse community.
“Our staff are expected to model professionalism, respect, and integrity at all times-especially in public settings,” Newby said.
The post in question was made by Cristina Monroy, who was the Administrative Assistant to Grass Lake School Principal Dr. Ryan Wollberg.
Monroy shared an image containing text on it that said, “Charlie Kirk was a racist, xenophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic, sexist, white nationalist mouthpiece who made millions of dollars inciting hatred in this country.”
“Whether it was his genocide denial, his transphobic tirades, his pushing for mass deportations, or his normalizing Trumpism for years, the man stood for nothing but hate. I extend absolutely no empathy for people like that, ” the image continued.
“In this situation, my empathy is reserved for his children. May they grow up to live in a country that is the total opposite of everything their father envisioned. May all of our children grow up to live in a country that values their lives enough to take gun violence seriously and reject any person who would try to justify senseless gun-related deaths — especially the deaths of children,” the image said.
Monroy captioned the text-based image with, “THIS!!!! [down arrow emojis].”
Monroy’s post came shortly after Kirk was fatally shot at a Utah Valley University campus during an event where he was speaking.
Newby said that while personal social media accounts are private in “one sense,” the impact of what is shared can “extend into the workplace and affect our school community.”
We take this matter very seriously and are reviewing it carefully and appropriately,” he said.
The superintendent told parents that his door is open and the administration is listening to the school community.
“In addressing this matter, I ask our entire school community to join me in remaining calm, avoiding aggressive speech or behavior, and resisting divisive language,” Newby said.
“We are all role models for our children. They are watching and learning from how we handle disagreement and conflict,” he added.
The Grass School District Board of Education held its regular meeting last week where members of the public spoke against Monroy.
John Muellner, a Republican candidate running for District 1 of the Lake County Board, was among those who spoke during the meeting.
He said Monroy’s comments “shatter” trust and “scream of disdain” for those like Kirk — white, Christian and conservative.
“How could she be trusted with the children of people whose demise she would celebrate?” Muellner said.
“Let us reclaim our schools as beacons of love, not breeding grounds for hatred,” he added.
After the regular board meeting, the board held a special closed meeting last Friday where they reportedly voted to terminate Monroy’s employment.
Newby confirmed to Lake and McHenry County Scanner this week that Monroy had been fired last Friday.
“We have an opportunity to teach them [students] that even in moments of strong emotion, we can discuss and debate difficult issues with respect, empathy, and civility. Please know that the safety of our students and staff is our top priority,” Newby said in the letter to parents.
“We have a robust safety plan in place and are in ongoing communication with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, which is providing additional patrols and support as needed to ensure our campus remains secure and welcoming for all,” he added.