Peabody Teacher Back To School After Social Media Violation Investigation

PEABODY, MA — A Peabody educator was set to return to the classroom on Wednesday following an investigation into whether the teacher's social media posts violated district policy.

The teacher was one of two off the job following posts related to the shooting death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk last month. Superintendent Josh Vadala said that one of the teachers had opted not to return to the district, while the other remained on leave until this week.

• Peabody Teacher Will Not Return After Charlie Kirk Death Social Media Posts
• 'Mistaken Identity': Salem Schools Staff Member Targeted After Charlie Kirk Assassination TikTok Post

"The Peabody Public Schools and Peabody Federation of Teachers are deeply committed to the well-being, safety, and education of all students of Peabody," the administration and teachers' union said in a joint statement. "After a thorough review of the details related to the alleged social media policy violation, the school department and the teacher’s union are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement that will allow the Peabody educator to return to the classroom."

CBS Boston reported last week that the second teacher decided to resign and was not fired, and that the school was in the process of finding a full-time replacement for the teacher who left the district.

A Salem Public Schools employee also came under fire for social media posts related to Kirk's death, but school officials there said that the "reprehensible" post was a case of "mistaken Identity."

A Peabody parents' group organized a rally in Peabody Square on Sunday in support of district educators. One of the parents who organized the standout told Patch: "This administrative overreach and overreaction is not a precedent we want to set in Peabody — or anywhere in the United States."

"It is important that our community work together to foster greater understanding and respect opinions that differ from our own," the union and administration joint statement said. "We hope that the same things students are learning in the classroom, including how to engage in debate thoughtfully, the importance of empathy, and how to be a critical thinker, can find their way back into our public discourse.

"We look forward to continued collaboration and working together to prevent any further disruptions in our schools."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza).