Artist Removed For Kirk Posts Cleared—But School Won’t Reinstate Her

Hope McMath is an artist and art history teacher who until recently taught at the Douglas Anderson School of Art in Jacksonville, Florida. She was fired in September over her social media posts following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Although the Duval County Public Schools investigation has concluded, McMath told local public radio station WJCT on Monday that the district has refused to reinstate her enrollment.

McMath and her attorney, John Phillips, said investigators confirmed findings related to the “use of profanity” on McMath’s private social media account but found no evidence to support a host of other allegations made in the original complaint.

“We’re hoping this is a small kick in the butt for me to get back into the classroom,” McMath told WJCT.

However, in a letter notifying the McMath School District that the investigation had been concluded and was being treated as “non-disciplinary,” DCPS said she would not be reinstated because she was also under investigation by the State Board of Education.

Question by WJCT host Anne Schindler first coast connectionPhillips was forthright about why the state case continues to drag on. “Weaponization of politics,” he said.

McMath announced in December that she was suing DCPS, state education officials and the conservative nonprofit Moms for Liberty, whose local chapter holds a majority on the DCPS board, over her ouster. At the time, McMath and another district employee, Haley Bartlett, who was also removed and has filed a lawsuit, said their removal was “part of a larger movement targeting similarly situated teachers across the country who find protected speech offensive.” McMath further accused Free Moms of falsely claiming she “improperly violated the law or school policy.”

On Monday, Phillips cited a 1968 Supreme Court ruling to frame McMath’s case as a free speech issue Pickering v. Board of EducationThe bill holds that teachers retain the right to free speech on matters of public concern, provided they do not knowingly or recklessly make false statements. (In this case, a teacher was fired after writing a letter to a local newspaper.) Teachers’ free speech rights are generally considered more limited in the classroom.

“There was never any allegation that Hope did anything wrong in the classroom, and no student or parent complained about her,” Phillips said. “The case was initiated by Mother Liberty, a 501(c)(4) bill that was consistent with the political views of Charlie Kirk’s organization Turning Point,” he claimed.

Notably, nearly all of the social media posts cited in Liberty Moms’ complaint to DCPS (provided to Action News Jax in September) occurred before Kirk’s assassination and addressed LGBTQ+ issues, COVID-19, and racial justice. These themes also appear in McMath’s artwork, which she often shares online. McMath said she instructed students not to follow her social media accounts, blocked students who tried to do so, and never discussed her political views in class. She also said other teachers in the district regularly post inflammatory, right-wing content on social media without any repercussions.

In December, a school district spokesman declined to comment, citing pending litigation. The Duval County chapter of Freedom Moms did not respond art newsRequests for comment were requested by press time.

McMath also previously served as director of the Cummer Art and Garden Museum in Jacksonville.