A Florida high school teacher says he was told to take down a poster of Charlie Kirk because someone didn’t like it. Now, he’s fighting back, saying it’s political discrimination.
William Loggans teaches law and economics at Horizon High School in Orange County, Florida. Like many teachers, he hangs posters in his classroom to inspire students. Some of the posters feature famous Americans like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Ronald Reagan. One of them showed Charlie Kirk, a conservative speaker and founder of Turning Point USA, along with a quote that read, “Never underestimate the power of your voice and the impact you can have on the world when you speak up for what you believe in.”
That was the poster school officials told him to remove.
Loggans told NBC’s WESH 2 News that a student complained about the poster. After that, he says, the school told him the quote itself wasn’t a problem. In fact, they admitted it was inspirational. But they also said that Kirk is a “controversial” figure and because of that, the poster had to come down.
“I didn’t see anything political with it at all,” Loggans said. “It’s just an inspirational quote by Charlie Kirk.”
Now, Loggans has hired a lawyer and filed a formal complaint against the school. He says this is political discrimination—punishing someone just because of their beliefs or who they quote. If the school doesn’t let him put the poster back up, he says he’s ready to sue.
So what does the school say?
The Orange County School District told WESH 2 that they’re following district policy. They pointed to a memo from Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas, who recently warned teachers to avoid making public political statements that could upset students or families. That memo came after the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk earlier this year.
Kirk was shot and killed during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on September 10. He was answering a question about transgender mass shooters when the alleged attacker opened fire. The suspect, Tyler Robinson, reportedly had a transgender partner and had sent a message saying, “Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
In the aftermath, Commissioner Kamoutsas said he would investigate teachers who made disturbing or disrespectful comments about Kirk’s death. His memo also reminded schools to enforce rules that keep classrooms neutral and welcoming to all students.
The school district says that’s why they asked Loggans to take the poster down.
But Loggans and his lawyer, Anthony Sabatini, say the rules aren’t being applied fairly. Sabatini pointed out that there’s a poster of former President Barack Obama in another classroom, and no one has asked for that to be removed.
In response, the school district said it treats all complaints seriously and fairly. “When staff is made aware of any situation that is a violation of state law or policy, it is dealt with accordingly and without political bias,” a district spokesperson said.
Still, Loggans isn’t giving up. He says he wants to start a conservative club at the school, modeled after Turning Point USA. Eventually, he hopes it can become an official chapter.
This case brings up a bigger question: Should teachers be allowed to show support for people who inspire them, even if those people are controversial? And if a quote is positive and uplifting, does it matter who said it?
For now, Loggans’ poster is down. But the fight over free speech in schools—and whether conservative voices are treated fairly—is far from over.
We’ll keep watching to see what happens next.